≡ Menu

Navigating LEGO CUUSOO…

(Written by Sarah

In my last post I introduced LEGO CUUSOO, going over its purpose and highlighting some CUUSOO projects. In this post I’ll give you some tips on navigating and finding LEGO models on CUUSOO as well as highlighting a few more projects that I feel deserve the attention. (Read previous post here: CUUSOO – Where LEGO Dreams Come True…)

CUUSOO – DISCOVER LEGO PROJECTS 

The main place to find projects on CUUSOO is through the Discover link at the top of every page. This will take you to a page that shows several “Outstanding Projects” at the top. Below are the search-bar and an “In Development” feature. Below those there is a listing of things happening right now down the left, and the top 10 LEGO models for the week on the right. 

The “Outstanding Projects” at the top will always show you the most supported LEGO project, the newest LEGO project, the most commented LEGO project and the most bookmarked LEGO project. There will be four little dots below these projects and arrows to the left and right which you can click on to see three more sets of projects. Nice, but many of the projects don’t change. In fact, the only category that changes regularly is the newest project listing and I use the list down the left for that.

Down the left you’ll see a tab labeled “Right Now!”. This shows activity on the projects such as who supports and comments on what. On this list there will be a second tab labeled “New Projects.” This is the best and fastest way to see what’s new and it’s how I mainly keep up on CUUSOO projects. 😉

Lastly, on the right, is the “Top 10″ list. This list reflects supports and changes each week as the projects gain more supporters. Thus you’ll see red, green and grey arrows that indicate whether the LEGO projects have gained less, more or the same number of supporters as last week. I find it interesting to see the fluctuations, especially the sudden rise in support for new CUUSOO projects.

CUUSOO – SEARCH

The search-bar is very useful as most CUUSOO projects have tags. The trick with searching is thinking of the most general and popular word(s) that fit what you are looking for. It’s up to each CUUSOO project-designer to create and assign tags so it can be a bit hit or miss. If the word you use doesn’t come up with anything, try variants or synonyms.

Honestly though, I use the search-bar mostly to browse LEGO projects. If you leave the search-bar empty and click on the magnifying-glass symbol, all of the projects on CUUSOO will show up. You can then sort them by “Recent”, “Most Supported”, “Most Commented” and “Most Viewed”. When I first signed up, I sorted by “Most Supported” to see if those were indeed projects that I’d support. Most were because of their quality.

CUUSOO – HIGHLIGHTED LEGO PROJECTS

Here’s another group of LEGO models that I really like and hope they become LEGO sets. Take a look to see if you agree with me. 🙂

LEGO HAUNTED MANSION: This is spectacularly spooky! The color choices are simply perfect. The way the window seems to glow a deep-red in contrast to the dark building just gives me the chills. This would be a good stomping-ground for any type of night-crawler; ghosts, vampires, or zombies. Though I kind of like it without minifigures. To just have this sinister house as is would be a great display piece for Halloween. Heck, I’d probably keep it up all year round. It’s just that dang cool!

LEGO Haunted Mansion by Badsneaker

LEGO WITCH’S GIANT PUMPKIN COTTAGE: This touches the inner kid in me who loves fairy-tales. I saw this, went “awww!” and knew I had to support it. It’s a cute little cottage, not trying to be anything more than it is, but that’s plenty. It’s got a lot of character and would be the great start to a light-hearted fairy-tale series. Definitely something I wish LEGO would do.

LEGO Witch's Giant Pumpkin Cottage by User14608

LEGO GHOSTBUSTERS ECHO 1: I love Ghostbusters – the movies and the old cartoon show – I grew up on it like many others and absolutely enjoyed every minute of it. There’s nothing more iconic than the four Ghostbusters and Echo 1. This would really be a treat to buy, but it’d have to be followed up by their headquarters. Hopefully someone will do that project too.

LEGO Ghostbusters by OrionPax

LEGO PHINEAS AND FERB: Up until recently I didn’t know who or what Phineas and Ferb was. It wasn’t until I read that there was going to be a LEGO Phineas and Ferb board-game that I looked into it. I am so glad I did!  I’m hooked on watching the cartoon on Netflix streaming and have started using their catch-phrases. It’s so addicting, it’s ridiculous!  But with the board-game, there’s not been any news about a series of sets. So if LEGO isn’t going to do it then it has to be done through CUUSOO. It’s just too good of a show and needs to be in LEGO-form.

LEGO Phineas and Ferb by awesomeEthan

LEGO DRAGON SLAYERS: I like this LEGO project because of its potential. It has a great storyline with a lot of thought put in to planning the sets. I really love castle-themed LEGO sets and think this would be a great addition. Rather than the normal, human vs. human conflict, it’s human vs. mythical monsters. I can’t wait to see how this project develops as the creator builds MOCs and posts images.

LEGO Dragon Slayers by lizardman

What do you think of these LEGO models, dear readers? Do you like any of them? If you do, please support them by clicking on the project-image and cast your vote. Are there other CUUSOO projects that you really wish would make it to 10,000 votes? Please post your comments below and maybe in a future post I’ll highlight a LEGO project you recommend. 🙂

And if you would like to learn more about CUUSOO and other great fan-created LEGO projects check here:

{ 25 comments }

New LEGO customs from BrickArms

LEGO custom accessories maker BrickArms just released a new batch of weapons, ready to be used by your LEGO minifigures. If you are not familiar with BrickArms; they specialize in making highly detailed, realistic modern weapons for LEGO minifigures. You can read more about BrickArms here: BrickArms – Overview.

Here are the four guns released on February 10th. Currently they are available in black only, price for each is $1. 🙂

Below are some additional photos of each of the guns just released. Also, please note that the Boonie Hat is also a BrickArms product, and comes in several colors. (Click on images for larger view.)

BrickArms M110-SASS (Semi-Automatic Sniper System): A modern sniper rifle for the modern soldier, the BrickArms M110 Sniper Rifle is ready for front-line combat Derived from the M16 rifle, the BrickArms M110 Sniper Rifle features a scope and suppressor to ensure that one shot means one silent kill!

BrickArms M16: BrickArms puts the legendary “black rifle” in your minifigures’ hands with the BrickArms M16 Rifle! Combining power and accuracy, the BrickArms M16A1 is the perfect choice for minifig soldiers in the jungles of the Far East or the desert battlefields of today!

BrickArms M16-DBR (Door Breaching Riffle): Locked doors aren’t a problem for the BrickArms Door Breaching M16! One blast the M16-DBR’s integrated pump-action shotgun will blast any door off its hinges. Perfect for close quarters battles, the combined rifle and shotgun firepower of the M16-DBR also has the same effect on your minifigures’ enemies!

BrickArms M16-AGL (Advanced Grenade Launcher): The classic M16 reborn for modern assault, the BrickArms M16 Advanced Grenade Launcher combines the accuracy of the assault-rifle with the power of a grenade-launcher in one deadly package! Equipped with a scope for added accuracy, any minifig armed with the BrickArms M16-AGL is ready to support their squad with some truly heavy-duty firepower!

And here is a great photo of the new BrickArms weapons still on the sprue (always fun to see the manufacturing process!): 

Will Chapman (owner and designer of the BrickArms weapons) says the following of these new weapons:  “I designed this entire production-mold in-house, including the part design, cavity-work, layout, water lines, ejection pin location pin-type and contouring. My molder was instrumental in helping me get it all right. I had this one wired, cut, and polished by a new US team, and they do excellent work. This endeavor is a HUGE jump from the aluminum prototype molds I have been cutting myself, and I am already hard at work on the layout for the next one.”

If you would pick up some new BrickArms equipment for your LEGO minifigures, you can purchase through a list of BrickArms authorized resellers. Check out how, at the BrickArms – Overview page. 😉

{ 3 comments }