GlenBricker's Review: May 2013

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Weekly Crowd

GBR News

New Pages!

Well, here they are, four pages to enhance how you interact with Cuusoo.

Daily shows you the top supporter project for the previous day and a table that shows each of the projects previous two days of support.

Weekly shows you last seven days of support for projects.

Latest Projects shows you the most recently published projects sorted by support descending.

Top New Projects shows the best performing of the very most recent projects and the top 15 of the latest 54. This is intended to show you the real cream of the crop and limit your exposure to the lower supported projects while allowing you to see the newest projects coming to Cuusoo.

It is all in Beta but it should be functional. I got some more stuff planned for the future.

New Project: Lady Sabre and Pirates of the Ineffable Aether

Yes another one. This is a ship from the Web comic: Lady Sabre and Pirates of the Ineffable Aether. If you have been reading the blog at all you will likely recognize it. If not, well its space fantasy-ish. I think I pulled of the figurehead pretty well. You can get a better look here.

General News

Nick Royer Returns to Cuusoo with Pulp Adventure

Hyperborea
by NickRoyer

Nick Royer was made famous on Cuusoo with his project "Space Troopers." It was one of the few to reach 10,000 using totally new IP and that is no small feet indeed when it comes to Cuusoo. Now he has released his second project and WOW, does it look fun.

Much like Space Troopers this project is playing out like a theme, but this one is based on pulp action instead of space adventures.

Here is Royer's own intorduction to the project:

An exciting new theme or mini-theme of Lego adventure: Hyperborea! Following the adventures of an expedition sent to explore the newly-discovered hollow world inside Earth, Hyperborea chronicles a variety of eccentric adventurerers in an alternate-history, steampunk world. They face a variety of challenges and mysteries, including the sightless dinosaurs of Lower Hyperborea, and the powerful and mystifying Illuminati, an ancient organization obsessed with building pyramids.

Personally I love pulp adventure so I am very excited to see this project, especially with Royer's quality designs.

Crowd funded

New 'Lego' Tank Treads

The expert Lego crafters at Brickmania are now launching a new part via Kickstarter: Tank Treads.

This element is a simple variation on the existing Lego chain element but with an actual tread on it. They are also hoping to produce a double wide version.

This is a pretty brilliant move on their part as Tanks are pretty much Brickmania's bread and butter.

It looks like Brickmania is ready to move on these too because $13 will get you 100 double wide links with a shipping date of July 2013!

Girl Genius Volume 12

If you like Lego which is probably true if you come here (even though I am talking about Crowd stuff now too) then you should probably also be reading Girl Genius. It has the zany energy and creativity that I find to be common in maturing FOLs. On top of that it has won three Hugos for crying out loud. On top of that it is free!

My fandom of the Girl Genius goes all the way back to when there were a printed comic but they have long since passed on that model. Now they publish on the web and occasionally print in trades.

Their current Kickstarter is to get the funds to publish Volume 12 of the series. They are fully funded and have printed before so this is a no-risk kickstarter.

If you have not been reading Girl Genius, check it out, but only if you like great art, crazy pulp adventure, mad science, militant cats, maniacal computers, love triangles, clockwork contraptions, and girl geniuses.

If you have been reading Girl Genius and are not planning on getting a physcial copy of volume 12, please consider one of the $1 to $10 donations. Consider how much enjoyment you have gotten out of Kaja and Phil's exploits over the years and...tip them what they are worth.

Threadless

I'm Ready to Fly

Cuusoo

Pick of the Week

Microscale Hogwarts
by Earthdogjon

Support Level: 63

Here is a great example of repeating a theme but presenting something attractive and new when you do it. This is the third Micro Hogwarts and by far the smallest. Even though it is so limited in scale though, it is instantly recognizable with features like the quidditch field and the strange towers that go off into the sky. Of the three micro Hogwarts I think this one strikes the best combination of scale (thus cost and displayability) and features.

The inclusion of the light brick really adds a lot of charm.

I do wonder why the quidditch field is missing a whole set of goals though.

Honorable Mentions

Micro Galaxy Explorer μ928
by Wolf.leews

Support Level: 26

I think these kind of homage sets are going to become more and more present in Cuusoo as time goes on. Not sure how the masses would react to them but I would personally love to get quality micro version of all my childhood sets.

UCS Speeder Bike
by Johngreenart

Support Level: 23

This is a great idea: A UCS of a subject so small that it is still viable from a price and displayability perspective even at a "large" scale. Not to mention that I doubt that a speeker bike will get picked any time soon for the traditional Star Wars UCS series as it is just too small.

Minifig Carnival Flight
by Toin

Support Level: 19

Although huge, this is a really fun way to use a lot of small aircraft sets and MOCs.

Notables

Iron man Hall of Armor
by Squareff7

Support Level: 50

Another one? Really? This is like the seventh one. They all look the same too. Business wise Lego is not going to sell seven Iron Men in one set without it costing pretty much the same price as buying seven different Lego sets.

L.M.I.R. - Roman Barracks
by Bigboy99899

Support Level: 50

Very impressive and educational.

Middle Ages Village
by Robin.rock

Support Level: 42

Certainly a quality and respectable MOC. I fear that it does not have enough "pizazz" to get much further though.

de Havilland DH.88 Comet
by Skypilot22

Support Level: 39

These look like they would be a lot of fun to swoosh around.

Star Wars Battlefront Pack - Republic
by Thenerd

Support Level: 39

A fantastic MOC. However the last Battlefront was released in 2009. Based on my difficulty with getting support for a Expanded Universe build with an active online community I have serious doubts for any Expanded Universe Cuusoo projects. There is however rumors that a new Battlefront may be in the cards with the new organization going on in the Star Wars properties.

Microfigure Star Wars
by Windfire

Support Level: 36

Really fantastic Microscaled Walker!

Workplace
by Toin

Support Level: 19

A gorgeous little building. This project needs to do a better job selling itself though.

Clone tank with dropship
by Jbb_777

Support Level: 18

Technically impressive but to my knowledge it is a "Star Wars" project with non canon vehicles. I always assume these are doomed out of the gate. Could be wrong but I just can't imagine them getting licensed.

Pokemon
by Irule

Support Level: 17

some great PokeMOCs and the ball looks great but way to many parts are used. There is a mention of putting the Pokemon in the ball but that seems impractical based on the scale of the MOCs and the viable internal volume of the ball. i.e. I will believe it when I see it.

The Cube Tree
by B.bokslag

Support Level: 14

Pretty and very clever but the part count relative to likely demand is a non-starter imo.

ThunderCats: ThunderTank
by Afallendevil

Support Level: 14

Instantly recognizable to any fan of the Thundercats. However, based on the lackluster performance of the Thundercat relaunch, I doubt we will see any Thundcat Legos any time soon.

-the Johnny Test Project-
by Nightwing20

Support Level: 12

A pretty cool set but one that goes a bit overboard. When you make a set based on an IP try to capture its essence rather than replicate every single aspect of the show in one oversized over dramatic set.

Sender Club Car
by 4567

Support Level: 10

This is a fun little buggy and well designed, but I just can't see a large scale audience for it.

Remembrance Day Poppy
by Smidsy

Support Level: 8

Absolutely no disrespect but personally I don't really see a button made of Lego as being a great way to "remember those soldiers who died in war." This is also a project that dictates that all profits go to a third part, so that is pretty much a non-starter in my opinion.

Armored Assault Tank (AAT)
by Finnmertens

Support Level: 24

The nature of the AAT makes it a Star Wars evergreen. It is the prefect scale for a set and plays well with the "first" three movies and the Clone Wars. Regardless of how good one of these projects is, they will be constantly outpaced by Lego's regular releases. This issue is even more pronounced with the Tie Fighter variants.

Iron Patriot Minifigure Set
by Nichels

Support Level: 76

This is a campaign to overturn a exclusive polybag deal with Walmart. This will not happen. It is just like the Western sets versus the Lone Ranger. Existing contracts trump Cuusoo project in every way, every time.

Week of Cuusoo

What follows is a showcase of the last week of Cuusoo projects

Weekly Crowd

News

Wow, I have been blogging for an entire year now. It just snuck up on me. Next week I will celebrate by launching some of the beta code I have been "hinting" at for weeks now. Some of the basic elements will allow me to radically change the format of the site while still providing the content that many of you come here to get.

Crowd funded

Update: Ogre

Ogre, a classic tabletop strategy game from the 70's by Steve Jackson games relaunched itself though Kickstarter last year. It shattered Kickstarter's funding record for board games at the time receiving $923,680.

A little over a year has passed now and the final review edition as arrived at Steve Jackson games.

The scale of the game is, simply put, epic:

Box size: 24 by 20 by 5.8 inches
Box weight: 25.2 pounds
Maps laid out: 31 square feet
Maps laid out end-to-end: 13.8 feet long
Counter sheets laid out unpunched: 29.9 square feet
No. of 2-D counters: 1,100
No. of 3-D counters: 104
Total no. of counters: 1,204

Now, I have been lucky enough to receive an early sheet of 3-D counters. I am glad to say that they they look fantastic and the quality is top notch. The art is excellent. Their was no difficulty popping them out of the sheets and I never got a hit of separation or tearing which sometimes occurs with games of lesser quality. The individual elements fit together simply and snugly.

Some people lamented that these are not plastic models but upon seeing the final product I couldn't be happier. If they were plastic then the game would be heavier and bulkier, the cost would be much higher and the units would have a lot less variation. I enjoy painting minis but most people don't have the time, equipment, and skill to do it on their own. The printed nature of these counters allows each one to be fully, attractively, and vibrantly colored.

On a final note, Steve and his team picked a perfect scale for these guys. This Ogre Mark VI fits perfectly in the hand and somehow conveys the huge scale of the tank (and my kid loves them too).

Even More Airship Adventure!

Dirigible Days is one of those awesome things where you see people coming together together to make something fun and cool, and they will do it no matter what. Last year Dirigible Day's launched their first kickstarter campaign to get the shoestring budget for a Steampunk webseries.

The setting is a Victorian Earth shattered by astronomical forces resulting in a multitude of floating islands called the Great Empire. The show has just a hint of the Firefly feel as it follows the crew of the airship S.S. Beatrix. Instead of Reavers though this world is best by Cthulhu cultists.

That's right, Steampunk and Cthulhu.

The original webseries can be found here. My blunt review would be that the story is good, the setting is fun, and the production values are relatively high considering the budget. I think it is fair to say that more than a few scenes are off my a beat or two and that is likely the biggest weakness of the series. The feel of the series is also very consistent so if If you like the first episode you will likely enjoy them all, if you first one does not grab your fancy, then it is not for you.

Dirigible Days is launching a new Kickstarter though:Dirigible Days: 998 -- Steampunk Graphic Novel Comic Book

Here is the summary of the story line:

Captain Santiago Dunbar, mute pilot Josie Devereaux, and witty engineer Hooper Jefferson return, along with new comrades Dr. Nella Chatterjee and navigator Mackie MacMillan, in an epic steampunk tale of airships, super robots, political plots and evil cultists. When Captain Dunbar learns that his mentor—revolutionary and genius inventor Desmond Ellington—has been kidnapped by the Empire of Rabasa in order to complete a weaponized automaton colossus, the crew begins a perilous journey of danger and intrigue throughout Africa in order to discover the truth: from the skyland of Khara-Khoto, to the jungles of Kenzania, across the savannahs of Ethiopia, and into the desert ruins of Irem, City of Pillars. World War is on the horizon, but is this crisis caused by the warmongering government of Rabasa or masterminded by a familiar and malevolent enemy?

Sounds like a fun pulpy adventure. $10 will get you a digital copy and $25 will get you a printed copy.

Threadless

Clash of Titans

Cuusoo

Pick of the Week

You are getting a twofer this week. These projects are rather similar and totally different. Both are quite awesome but also has critical flaws which will sadly make it difficult for them to get produced as is. With both being so awesome and flawed I just could not decide which one was the better project for the pick...so I decided not to decide and lay all the cards on the table.

IRON MAN Hulkbuster
by Jonsanpedro

Support Level: 97

Wow! What a brilliant use of the Iron Man hero-factor chest piece. This guy is just fantastic and a very successful mash up of standard Lego and hero-factory elements. It does help that the Iron Man head piece is extremely large too, to help with the independent scale of the thing. The articulated thrusters on the back are a really nice touch too.

It looks fun enough that I can totally overlook the fact that nearly every Hulkbuster variation I have seen gives the armor a domed head, similar to Juggernaut helmet. Jonsanpedro did a great interpretation of the dome by building up a lot of armor around the official headpiece.

Update: Jonsanpedro has now included his inspirational image of a Hulkbuster suit and it does not have a dome head.

So what is the "problem" I have with this project. Will this is not the "Really Big Iron Man suit" its the Hulkbuster suit. Its is suppose to be the size of the Hulk. The official Lego Hulk figure is about twice the height of minifig. Maybe I am wrong but it looks to me like this thing would dwarf the Hulk. I might change my mind if I see them together but picturing it, I can't see them playing off each other very well. Its a pretty minor concern relative to how well done the build is.

Apollo Guard - Imperial Mecha Unit
by Reekardoo

Support Level: 150

Mecha come in a so many styles and categorizes with recognizable themes. It is rather unusual when you think about it especially for something that is for the most part totally fictional. Reekardoo's design falls into what I consider the Rounded Heavy Power Armor variety: bulky and "squat" but with plenty of curves. It reminds me a bit of the armor you see in Warhammer 40k but still distinct enough that it is original.

I especially like the hands. They four fingers allow for a lot of realistic looking poses and grips.

The gold chrome is an awesome touch. It reminds me of the Glitter Boy armor form Palladium's Rifts RPG. It really helps sell the concept to Lego fans. Unfortunately that same aspect of the design is why I have a hard time supporting it whole hog. Chrome is really expensive for Lego sets.

A Lego set designer once told me he could budget 20 regular pieces in a set for each chrome piece. The reason for the cost not just the actual act of chroming the elements but also because Lego apparently uses smaller molds for Chrome elements. When you chrome a object, it becomes thicker. So for Lego's exacting standards they need to make thinner elements when they are going to chrome them, thus in many cases new molds.

Honorable Mention

Liebherr LTM 1070
by Dejw

Support Level: 36

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Watch the video. Its really quite impressive.

Notables

Interactive Battle Video Game
by Jadisco

This is a really interesting concept but it needs some video to showcase its potential.

If you have a dynamic project you need to showcase that with a video.

Grand Prix Circuit - Pit Lane Marshal's post
by Lluisgib

Lluisgib's F1 racer is very impressive.

Lego has had a strong relationship with Ferrari and Racing for years. I am not quite sure if that is a good thing for this project (established relationship) or a bad thing (Lego will likely cycle back to this on their own).

The use of the MILS base is a nice touch but that is the kind of "dead" volume that makes MOCs look fantastic but rarely make it to Lego products.

Lego Custom Modular Mexican Restaurant
by Miamiguy119

This modular has some great architectural elements and great coloring. The half width design is actually a very good idea for Cuusoo.

I am very surprised it got past the "no modern use of Alcohol rule."

Lego Ford T
by Saabfan

Vintage Cars! I can't get enough of them. This design has some really inspired design elements. I especially like the headlight elements used for the side lamps.

FLOWER SHOP - Custom Modular by Jorge Garcia
by Miamiguy119

This is a very nice looking modular externally. The color selection is very strong and the architecture is broken up into interesting builds. On top of that the flower shop level looks like a flower shop.

The week part of the design is the second floor though, it is just a lounge area. Though it might not be more popular, I think this design would be a lot stronger as a one story building.

Millennium Falcon Expansion Kit
by Emiki

Conceptually I love this idea. Emiki has some really great improvements to the Falcon. I think it would be really interesting if Lego produced expansion sets for their products. Then again, that is what Brickset is for right?

That being said, as a Cuusoo project is has a serious uphill battle. As I pointed out with Emiki's Jubba Palace project, the timing for this kind of project is impracticable. What is the market for Lego in producing an expansion set for a retired product?

The Battle of Kashyyyk - Wookiee Tree Village
by Ephseb

There are quite a few of these Star Wars "giant tree village" projects on Cuusoo. They are Wookie or Ewok but they all basically look the same. I think they make great MOCs when done right but I just don't see them as potential products (at least not as presented in most of Cuusoo.

These projects tend to overuse the tree elements, often in a boring manner (in this case four giant shafts) and have limited playability relative to the part count (and subsequent cost).

Week of Cuusoo

Following the break is a showcase of all the new projects from this week sorted by support level

Cuusoo Analytics: Days to 10k

Approaching 1k Milestone

Themed Brick Box and Legend of Zelda: King of Red Lions achieved 1000 supporters in the last week. The Brick Box has been with us for a while so it predates a lot of the formalization of what Cuusoo is about. I think the concept is pretty doomed as it more of a packaging strategy then a Cuusoo set. As for the King of Red Lions, this is is one of the first Zelda projects, and probably my favorite, I got a thing for boats.

ARAK-N3

Support Level: 993

Hindenburg

Support Level: 978

Spider-Man: Ultra Pose-able Action Figure

Support Level: 973

Deadline Review

The next review is June 3rd, 2013.Less than a month away. If League of Legends can get there act together then they could get in by the deadline but they have shown a very unusual quality of immense surges of support followed by long droughts. It is really screwing up my models.

Days to 10K

Project	Creator	Rate	10k	1k
League of Legends of Lego	Addam	113.02	12
FTL: Faster Than Light	CrashSanders	29.68	105
Poptropica: Dr. Hare's Lair	PopCreators	33.81	108
The Adventure Time Project	jazlecraz	38.97	178
Macross VF-1 Valkyrie +Fast pack / Armored parts	maxvf1	9.2	338
Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary	BrentWaller	18.17	380
Legend of Zelda: Iron Knuckle Encounter	WesTalbott	13.48	386
Ghostbusters	TeeKay	9.63	554
Modular Apple Store	gotoandbuild	8.08	568
LEGO Bird Series	DeTomaso	7.23	587
Japanese old style architecture	taxon55	6.81	678
Female Minifigure Set	Alatariel	9.67	809
DC Comics: Minifigures Series	Marvel-boy	9.47	1001	50
Labyrinth Marble Maze	Touthomme	5.4	1097
Invisible Hand	LDiEgo	5.4	1135
BTTF - UCS DeLorean Time Machine	m.togami	4.6	1164
Ultimate Collectors Series Lightsabers	scott34567	5.82	1181
The Muppets!	jedikermit	5.87	1213
Amusement Park Ride - Twist and Whirl Ride - now MOTORIZED!	DerekMedina	7.23	1297	53
The Nether - Minecraft	gueltron	7.49	1300	98
Iron Man - Hall of Armour	jaredchan	7.21	1346	98
Minecraft Village	TheNerd	6.81	1381	60
Batman: Killer Croc's Lair	BrickQueen	4.88	1446
Ironman Arc Reactor	Mr.Attacki	6.29	1486	55
The Discworld (or a sea turtle, some tiny elephants, and a ...	GlenBricker	5.78	1492
Iron Man Hall of Armour	Ryan.M.Evans	5.94	1643	127
The Drake's Head Inn	AlexP	5.4	1648
LEGO Architecture - Leaning Tower of Pisa	moctown	3.71	1748
Apollo 11 Lunar Mission	suzuki	3.8	1751
Micro Scale Star Wars Scenes	toomuchcaffe	4.18	1764
Adventure Time! Tree Fort	dunc237	4.6	1869
Western Town - Pif Paf City	kris_kelvin	4.34	1934
Legolympus (Mythology Theme with Mount Olympus Set)	Kiffington	4.27	1941
Douglas DC-3	Ssorg	3.85	1970
LEGO single lens reflex camera	suzuki	4.41	1981
BTTF - Jules Verne Train	m.togami	3.99	1999
Marvel Avengers Board Game	Pekko	4.41	2024
UCS All Terrain Armoured Transport	Cavegod	3.9	2090
Lord of the Rings Set: Minas Tirith	NujuMetru	4.32	2136	52
Red Squirrel	Vuurzoon	3.47	2200
Majestic Airship!	Ssorg	3.66	2247
The Glory of Rome	mminnitt	3.1	2248
- MegaMan Project -	Alatariel	3.57	2322
LEGO Mobile Designer for Nintendo 3DS & other devices	Frankie	3.1	2339
IRON MAN gantrymachine	choisanghun	3.8	2407	38
Realistic trees	Paultox	3.05	2409
BONSAI "Pine tree"	AMKK	3.57	2508
Log Cabin - Two Seasons!	Ssorg	3.47	2571
Flying Dutchman	Sebeus	3.1	2595
Legend of Zelda: King of Red Lions	flailx	3.43	2623
Redemption - Nebulon-B escort frigate	LDiEgo	3.47	2669	75
LEGO Pokemon	Kevinhink	2.96	2717
Hardsuits	iron_S	3.01	2754
The Bat Rises	velociraptor	2.72	2866
Piano	Hidaka	2.21	2868
The Adventures of Steamrod!	Brickthing	2.91	3037
Corellian Defender (Star Wars the Old Republic)	GlenBricker	2.72	3055
T-Rex Skeleton	jazlecraz	3.01	3107	117
Pokemon: Gyarados	retinence	2.54	3156
Batman: Man-Bat's Lab	BrickQueen	2.49	3158
Minecraft World	vonsigan	3.05	3163	212
LEGO Settlers of Catan	Michael	2.35	3168
Disney Minifigures	KeTi	2.86	3231	84
Avengers IRONMAN gantrymachine2.0	choisanghun	2.82	3251	59
Lord of the Rings Set: Edoras/The Golden Hall	NujuMetru	2.91	3263	170
Transforming Retro Video Game Accessories	vonbrunk	2.58	3269
Medieval Market Street	AlexP	2.58	3324
Modular Costume Store for Collectible Minifigures	BrentWaller	2.49	3474
Mirage (realistically speaking)	Nannan	2.02	3525
Castle Crashers	czar	2.16	3555
Micro-build Hogwarts Castle	BeKindRewind	2.49	3599
Small YELLOW	brickartist	2.07	3606
RMS Titanic	Ssorg	2.39	3660
Modular Town Plan Cinema	Hinckley	2.16	3680
The Amazing Spider Man Ultra Poseable Action Figure	mmccooey	2.44	3700	12
Minecraft Expansion Biomes	samiam	2.58	3759	271
Wall-E	langemat	2.57	3780	278
Lego Store	RayC	2.11	3960
Avengers: Iron Man Mark Vii Armor	mmccooey	2.3	4027	114
Roller Coaster	Luc2000	2.11	4107
James Bond's Aston Martin DB5	JJOttens	2.31	4136	240
Lego DC Heroes Minifigures Series 1	ManiacDude	2.21	4214	142
LEGO Star Wars Micro Chess Set	avisolo	1.93	4320
Macrofigures	CrashSanders	2.02	4408
Iron Man Hall of Armor	rustyj	2.16	4445	279
Star Wars Season 4 Phase 2 Clone Battle Packs	Zspace	2.14	4467	262
LEGO Minecraft Board Game	Orcaman4	1.97	4538
Medusa's Temple	Strider	1.93	4607
Phineas and Ferb	AwesomeEthan	1.6	4695
Architecture : Space Shuttle crawler transporter	Teazza	1.69	5043
MINI Cooper Mark I	Sheepo	1.74	5151
Barnes & Noble and Starbucks Store	wooootles	1.83	5261	343
Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grandsport	Sheepo	1.64	5264
UCS Venator-Class Star Destroyer	jourianbax	1.69	5355	29
Clone Wars Infantry Packs	DAVID-HALL	1.6	5435
Train Turntable and modular Roundhouse	Fachmann	1.64	5587	99
Dragon Slayers	lizardman	1.6	5614
Ancient World Civilizations	matija	1.5	5662
Apple Store Vending Machine	lgorlando	1.64	5671	183
Space Shuttle Launch Complex	Teazza	1.6	5786	161
BTTF - Biff Tannen's Ford	m.togami	1.55	5904	97
Themed Brick Box	Odd.Robot	1.5	5990
Minifigure hand with attachment point	potluck	1.55	6036	230
Minecraft Lego Desert Microworld	Winventions	1.6	6074	449
Stark Tower	MMystery92	1.55	6139	333
LEGO Avengers: The Video Game	AwesomeEthan	1.57	6155	423
Corner Candy Modular Building	waltzking	1.46	6185	20
Willys JEEP	suzuki	1.36	6328
BTTF - Hill Valley Courthouse	m.togami	1.46	6355	190
Startrek Ncc-1701 Starship Enterprise	C3Brix	1.5	6449	449
Lego Wall-E!!	suzuki	1.36	6464
Galaxy Command	reekardoo	1.41	6579	196
LOTR UCS Argonath	Shayd_DeGrai	1.41	6645	262
Camper Van Forever	nuno2500	1.36	6685	67
Lego Movie Chronicle Series	suzuki	1.31	6752
Ambulance (Type 3 / Type III)	SpacySmoke	1.36	6905	287
Vampire GT Supercar	Crowkillers	1.03	7013
Goblin Fortress Ruins	AlexP	1.31	7049	179
Motorized Tumbler	mahj	1.22	7160
LOTR: Fall of the Witch King	Shayd_DeGrai	1.31	7221	351
Mini Cooper	Steven1980	1.13	7660
Minecraft, Snow biome	Dookie	1.22	7699	322
Lego Mountain Biking	j4mes	0.99	7712
Modular Police Station	ezzkazz	1.22	7728	351
Disney Parks - Castles Collection	lg2012	1.22	7753	376
Galaxy Diner and Empire Theater	sonicstar	1.08	7825
Project: Metroid	Zurtech	1.17	7906	213
Apple Store ( Stage)	jamessims	1.22	7941	564
Poptropica: Early Poptropica Island	paul94	1.22	7991	614
Medieval Travelling Theatre	Bobsy	1.17	8030	337
Lovely Sailboat!	Ssorg	1.17	8062	370
Portal Test Chamber	t-brick	1.08	8135
Cinematic Minifigure Series	sgtdisney55	1.08	8443	110
The C.C.S. Gryphon - Galaxy Command	reekardoo	1.13	8479	515
Mini Batmobile	Tiler	1.08	8491	158
General Grievous' Wheel Bike	TBBCustoms	1.08	8508	175
Minecraft Micro World: The End	paul94	1.13	8650	685
Prototype Attack Mecha Alpha Zero	danr	0.99	8692
Star Wars - Star Tours Starspeeder 3000	HJR-Holland	1.08	8722	388
Porsche 997 GT3	Crowkillers	1.03	8819	81
The Wizard's House	AlexP	1.08	8824	490
Legend of Zelda: Master Sword & Pedestal	FlanBrosInc	1.08	8863	529
Florian Albert Stadium	laszlogabii	0.99	8875
Model of Hogwarts Castle	Scorpius	1.03	9102	365
Flooded Temple Ruins	Hinckley	1.03	9123	385
Legend of Korra: Mecha Tank, Korra, Amon, Hiroshi, & Support...	GlenBricker	1.03	9134	397
T. Rex encounter from Jurassic Park	pmiaki	1.03	9205	467
Star Wars Opee Sea Killer	PepaQuin	0.94	9323
New Short Minifigure Parts	Takanuinuva	0.99	9476	385
Italian Style Renaissance Modular Buldings	mautara	0.99	9581	490
Tiny Trucks	Robiwan	0.94	9676	102
Microfig Mechas	CrashSanders	0.99	9845	754

Not on the List? First, I tend to cut off projects after a certain day count, usually 10k. Additionally, I only monitor projects that have at least 200. Projects less than that are a little too volatile for proper assessment. Finally, I track several weeks worth of data to get these numbers, so you might not show up until your project has been post 200 for a few weeks.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Weekly Crowd

News

Still working on the Cuusoo tools I have been talking about for a while now. I want to shore up the security in a few of the pages but I will definitely share some of it next week.

In the meantime, please enjoy this pic

Crowd funded

Name of the Wind Deck of Cards

One of the more common "games" you find on Kickstarter are decks of cards customized to a specific theme or subject.

In this example we have Name of the Wind Playing Cards. The art on these cards are based on the book of the same name which is the first of the Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss. Personally I can't recommend the series enough. The apparently trilogy is currently incomplete at only two books so far, but I have listened to them both (via Audible) many many times.

As to the matter of the deck, to be sure we are not talking about some new card game, but a standard deck of playing cards. These usually work well with the Kickstarter model as they are a very producible product (effectively 53 images give or take), you can choose themes that appeal strongly to a specific, passionate, but limited audience, and the price point is usually very accessible. With this Kickstarter you can get the deck for $11.

Robotech RPG / Tactics

Link to the current released rules

Palladium games has been producing the Robotech RPG for years and now they are moving into the Tactical market with the assistance of Ninja Division in producing Robotech RPG Tactics. This is a great Kickstarter because it is really hard to judge the marketability of these mature IP's that don't currently penetrate the market.

From what I have seen the game does a fair job of capturing the feel of Robotech with equivalent though wildly different forces. The pace of gameplay does seem high and the difficulty to understand low, which is one of the goals of the system.

Probably the biggest issue I see for the game is that the entire series is centered on building up the U.N. Spacey forces as the hero you would want to play. Games without a strong IP influencing them can develop faction that have different levels of attraction to different players. In Robotech you can either be the Humans protecting the Earth or the Invading Alien Zentradi, and if you play the humans, you get to play with transforming Jets. Who will want to be the Zentradi?

As for the details on the Kickstarter, it is going very strong with several days to go. They have operated it quite cannily by offering a base game package and one with "all the goodies." At this point some of the named characters that took to the battlefield on both the U.N. Spacey and Zentradi side have been unlocked: Rick, Roy, Khyron, and Miria. This leaves a glaring exception being Max. This stands out even more given that they have a "scenario" in which Max is in the title. My guess is that in the very last days of the campaign, Palladium is going to put Max as an unlockable at a high though achievable goal to generate that final sprint of funding.

One final thing about tactical games is that they tend to mesh well with Lego.

Threadless

Ninja + Lego vs Pirate

Cuusoo

Pick of the Week

Daft Punk Collection
by Jakemeier

Support Level: 113

Daft Punk hm...I am only slightly familiar with their music but it does not seem to have anything offensive I can find. But the really cool thing about this is that these guys are celebrities with "Robot Head." They look about as accurate as you can get, with no face printing.

On top of that though, these builds are really solid. These do look like some high tech DJ equipment stations. I love the use of the tool as a vinyl disc arm.

Jakemeier not only picked a great subject but also great timing. With a Cuusoo project you want to get something "timeless" and "timely" at the same time. Daft Punk has been around for since 1990 (Goodness that was 23 years ago people!), and they are just about to release a new album which will help in generating initial support levels.

Compare this to the Jabba's palace Expansion Kit that was also published this week. In that proposal the idea is to create a set that integrates sets 9516 and 75005. My best estimates are that even if this project was taking off like gangbusters, it would be no less than a year before it could see production. Right now, one of the two sets is retired and no doubt the other one will be before this could come out. In my opinion Lego is not going to produce a set that allows you to integrate two retired sets.

When submitting projects, it is in your best interest to post something that is either insanely popular and accessible at the moment or has a timeless quality to it will still have people interested in the idea years down the road.

All that being said, I think it will be very difficult for Lego to make Cuusoo projects based on real individual from the modern era. The thing about real people is that they have real lives. Lives can get messy. Whereas fictional characters are often protected from dramatic changes by the business that own them and their interest to keep their fans happy, real people are entirely unpredictable. There are plenty of cases of celebrities and prominent individuals being awesome role models one year, and disgraced the next. It in not impossible, Lego has made entire sports teams into figures for instance, but there is a clear distinction between the burdens of brand fit for a fictional character and a real person.

Honorable Mentions

The Wolven fighter - Galaxy Command
by Reekardoo

Support Level: 66

This is part of the Galaxy Command series launched by Reekardoo and KitBricksto. I must admit I had some input into this design as well. It has all the elements that people has come to expect form a "star fighter" but has managed to stay unique.

The Crossbow
by Rfonseka87

Support Level: 42

I add this out of surprise if nothing else. "Working" "weapons" is something a lot of FOLs like to build but I never expected Cuusoo to allow them on here. I am interested in seeing what happens with this as time goes on. I DO know that Lego's policy against real war machines would prevent any realistic looking firearms from being considered but who knows about this Crossbow?

Laputa Robot (Castle in the Sky)
by Speshy

Support Level: 28

This is a solid recreation of the rather unusual robot from Laputa. I am uncertain of its stability in its current state but it is a solid presentation from a beloved Miyazaki film. Even though Miyazaki's films are great for Lego's target audience, no Miyazaki project has yet exceeded 100 support.

L.M.I.R. - Roman Merchant Ship
by Bigboy99899

Support Level: 43

This ship needs a bit of work on the transition from hull elements to brick elements but the concept is a good one. I would like to see Lego pursue some non-military (including pirates in military) ships of old. Then again, I think any kid getting a ship without a cannon will likely feel swindled if they don't get cannons with a ship so I can't fault Lego for not producing them.