Details: OK, so scanners have been done with the older Mindstorms RCX units before, but look! NXT! Color! This one is awesome. The resolution isn't particularly great, but you can use Bluetooth to move the images immediately from the NXT's programmable brick to the full-size computer. Come to think of it, I think that the RCX-based scanner I saw was actually just part of a copy machine where it scanned an image with one RCX and then told a second RCX to place the pen in the dark spots. Anyway - this is an excellent model, and there are instructions, photos, details, more video, and programs available at the website above.
Details: OK, so it's not just one model and I generally try to avoid getting into stuff from the parks. Get a look at these photos, though - hi-res shots of large swaths of Miniland. Lots of people take photos at LEGOLAND California, but most people just do it for novelty - they don't actually get pictures that are good enough that you could try using the scale and techniques in your own models. These photos, on the other hand, are excellent, cover a large variety of Miniland models, and are clear enough that you can zoom in and see how things are done. Of course, there are some other photos of LEGOLAND here too, but the Miniland shots are most of the highlights. Besides, there are over 400 photos here - you probably couldn't look at all the rides and sculptures in the same sitting as the Miniland anyway.
Sorry about the late post - this had been picked out last week but I apparently never got around to writing about it in advance. I'm rushing it up now (Sunday around noon EST) but will be adding to it later today.
Details: This is particularly unique Dalek (an armored alien from a military race in the popular BBC series Doctor Who) - the details are so good that you can barely tell that you're looking at a LEGO model. Of course, this also makes it difficult to get a good sense of scale here. It looks to me like this is significantly larger than Miniland scale - once you get a feel for the base of the model, this thing starts to look pretty dang big. Of course, what really matters is the techniques - the angle work, the details, and the BrickLink ordering of special parts in bulk. No need to try to reverse-engineer this, though, because there's an extra gallery of photos illustrating how various parts were done.
Details: Yes, dear Google searchers, we hear your failed requests. Over the past few months, people looking for (and not finding) info on this set have been visiting this blog with alarming regularity (mostly because I've featured bothof the Arvo brother's VW Beetle designs). Well, now I have some info: the set is licensed through Volkswagen, but will only be available at LEGO stores and through LEGO Shop at Home. The official release will be within the next month - I don't have an exact date. You can watch for info on it at its Brickset page. There are over 1500 pieces included and the set will sell for over $100. This design is noteworthy partially because it was one of the first to be voted on by LEGO fans at a fan event in Germany, but also because this final version features hundreds of parts in fairly rare colors. The scale is also interesting - it's big enough to provide some great details, Ultimate Collector Series-style, but it's also perfect for Technic and Belville figures. Some leaked publicity shots have appeared on Brickshelf. Also, there might be a few exclusive detail shots in my Brickshelf folder, thanks to my well-connected friend (and BrickJournal's editor) Joe Meno (and if you haven't subscribed to BrickJournal yet, I highly recommend doing that while you wait for this set to release).
Searchers, is there anything else you want to know?
Also, do you want to stick around? Although most models featured here aren't available for sale, there is a new model every day and most of them are just as amazing as this set.
Details: OK, so once you take a close look at this, it is pretty obvious how it was done. What makes it so exciting is that you HAVE to take a close look at it - at first glance, it looked too much like a full-size skyscraper. I'll let you read the rest over on the MOCpages link above - he did a great write-up of the details of this one.
Details: If you've been reading LMOTD for a while, you've probably figured out that I really love the modular house style of city building. However, that's not the only amazing type of building being erected by adult LEGO fans today. This amazing reproduction of a real Cafe in Amsterdam turns things around by building diagonally across the baseplate. The front half is used for exterior details, while the back half shows off the completely furnished (and occupied!) interior. All of the flashiness would be for nought if the building wasn't up to par, but this building is also to the same scale (albeit a large building to start with) and is at the same high level of detail as those modular buildings I keep blogging about. Spiky hair shrubbery, sailboat sail holder signs, intricate windows (including some with curvature), a lasso lamppost, Technic axle columns...this is just a masterpiece, with a wide variety of amazing details and techniques. There are only 12 photos - and they're all worth letting carefully soak in. Then you come to the thirteenth photo - a picture of the inspiration for this - and realize that it's not just a great model, but a spot-on reproduction of the original building, too.
Details: This unique vehicle to tunnel into the earth is spectacular. Apparently there is a plot line that will be revealed through forthcoming models by the same builder. You can already see the start of the characters being developed in the gallery above. Of course, as great as this thing looks, the gear configuration isn't exactly functional, but I'll let that slide since this is apparently a work-in-progress series.
Yes, I know I'm getting caught without a real model to blog about today. I'm hoping to find a model-of-the-day for today sometime this evening - the only hold-up is that I need to find something bizarre so that I can follow my own made-up rules on featuring a variety of models.
You know what is really awesome and totally worth using this excuse to feature, though? The new Indiana Jones LEGO parody, called "Indiana Jones - Raiders of the Lost Brick". You can see it (along with some clips from the real movies, and some entertaining trailers for the current LEGO sets and video game) at http://indianajones.lego.com/en-US/default.aspx . It's worthwhile even if you're not familiar with the films - it's just brilliant and hilarious in general. Flash is required, but it worked with my older version of the Flash plug-in, so you'll probably be able to watch the clip if you've been able to see the YouTube clips I've posted here in the past.
In late July of this year, the University of Nevada will be releasing 15 Mindstorms-based machines into the highest levels of Earth's atmosphere. They've apparently done this before (they have a video of stills from a similar experiment) but this is a larger event and is being billed as HALE - the High Altitude LEGO Extravaganza. I'll post more about this when I hear more about it
Details: Here's an interesting set of scenes from the series Lord of the Rings. I'm not much of an LotR fan, so I can't speak to the accuracy of these - but there are quite a few of them and many of them are interesting from a building perspective, and a few of them make entertaining use of non-LEGO elements as well. There are a variety of landscapes, custom figs, houses, and castle-styled scenes, so I suspect that quite a few of us non-LotR fans will still be able to enjoy the gallery and the building ideas shown. The photo I've selected to accompany this post is one of several great landscapes shown here - I love that little stream and the mix of white and dark grey pieces used to get a realistic rocky land feel.
Yes, dear Google searchers, we hear your failed requests. Over the past few months, people looking for (and not finding) info on this set have been visiting this blog with alarming regularity (mostly because I've featured 
