Statler and Waldorf of the Muppets

Name of Model: Waldorf And Statler

Created by: grubaluk

Found at: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=549471

Details: Once again, the newer eye elements LEGO has been making lately make it easier to build iconic characters. This time, it's Statler and Waldorf of The Muppets, seen here in their famous perch at the Muppet Theatre. In this case, the design isn't entirely obvious - while the eyes are important, it's the clever use of curved slopes and cheese slopes that makes these the distinctive characters. The balcony is also a pretty clever build - the curtains look like alternative rows of red bricks and dark red plates, while the body of the balcony is made of dark orange 1x2 bricks curved using plate hinges. The pearl-gold-colored decorative flourish on the front is even more clever - note the clever use of Sensei Wu's hat, as well as a pair of bars with side studs connected to a pair of elephant tails.

Mickey Mouse

Name of Model: Mickey Mouse

Created by: polywen

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/artpoly/tags/mickey/

Details: Disney's Mickey Mouse in fully articulated form might not seem like an easy thing to build - but this design came quickly after the builder realized that a round ball could easily be turned into Mickey's head. There are some great techniques here - the legs connect to the torso by use of Bionicle ball-and-socket joints (good thing that the Technic ball joint element is actually made in red!), the mouth is made from a flower, and the thumbs are made from signal paddles. It helps that Mickey is one of the few characters with wiry enough limbs that the tentacle-like click hinge elements actually suit him well. Perhaps the best detail, though, is the rather mundane use of two tan 2x2 round plates near the top of his head - they perfectly capture the iconic "windows' peak" look of Mickey's face.

Snoopy and Woodstock

Name of Model: Snoop

Created by: "BrickLove" Martijn van Bachum

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bricklove/4999865554/

Details: I'm not sure quite how to describe this scale (it's definitely larger than minifig scale), but this Snoopy (from PEANUTS) is adorable. As some of the flickr commenters pointed out, the part selection could have been better - but that's besides the point, since this is part of the builder's attempt to build and photograph a new small model every day. It's hard enough just to write about a different model every day, never mind building and photographing a fresh one! In an apparent effort to completely show me up, the builder also pointed out three earlier Snoopy LEGO models for comparison's sake.

Miniland Bride and Groom

Name of Model: Bride and Groom, 2010.06.05

Created by: au_riverhorse

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/au_riverhorse/sets/72157624223755896/

Details: These excellent miniland-scale characters have partially jointed arms (check out the other two pictures in this photo set to see some surprising expressions) and several evocative techniques. The groom's tie makes excellent use of a metallic gold colored 1x2 tile - a fantastic way to use a piece in a rare color that you might otherwise not be able to build with. The formal attire is recreated perfectly thanks to various studs-not-on-top elements. You really get a sense of a separate suit jacket hanging on the groom's figure, and the combination of curved slopes and wedges on the bride's dress creates a unique form that could be a real wedding dress. The back even includes tails on the suit and a train on the dress. The use of black studs-not-on-top brackets for hairpieces works much better than I would have expected - it really adds dimension to these figures. These figures actually outdo some professional LEGO wedding cake toppers!

Iron Man

Name of Model: Iron Man

Created by: The Arvo Brothers

Found at: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=2864105, http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=2864279, and http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=2864292

Details: The famous comic book hero Iron Man has been done at a fairly sizeable scale by the Arvo Brothers. You may recall that we've featured their incredible models cars before, but this is really the first major fictional character they've done (they have done some smaller characters that I haven't featured yet, though - you can check those out in their Brickshelf gallery.) So far there are only those three photos of this one online, and they're all in the same pose (so we don't know yet if this Iron Man is moveable or not yet.)