Celebrate classic Disney with LEGO 43179 Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse Buildable Characters

June 15, 2020 | 4

Introducing 43179 Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse Buildable Characters – a brand new sculpture-type model from Disney and LEGO which celebrates pop culture’s ultimate power couple.

This “black label” release (with red greebling along the edges this time!) brings together two iconic characters – Mickey and Minnie Mouse as they “jump” off the pages into a unique buildable sculpture.

Weighing in at 1,739 pieces, the Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse Buildable Characters set will retail for US$179.99/AU$279.99 and has a release date of 1 July 2020. They will be available from LEGO.com or your local LEGO store.

See below for regional prices and links:

• LEGO 43179 Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse Buildable Characters [US] – US$179.99
• LEGO 43179 Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse Buildable Characters [AU] – AU$279.99
• LEGO 43179 Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse Buildable Characters [UK] – £169.99
• LEGO 43179 Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse Buildable Characters [EU] – €179.99
• LEGO 43179 Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse Buildable Characters [CA] – CA$229.99

Okay, I’ll admit – I really like the concept of these buildable characters, and I think the designers have done an incredible job adapting the designs of Ub Iwerks.

The scale of these figures are also stunning – either that or they’ve used a tiny woman in the photo for scale.

With the tallest model (Mickey) standing over 14 in. (36 cm) tall, 7.5 in. (19 cm) wide and 6.5 in. (16.5 cm) deep, these strike quite an imposing presence when you display them. Minnie is about 35cm tall for reference.

Here’s a closer look at Mickey – who is perched atop a platform that doubles as a film negative with his name autographed on it.

Here’s a look at Minnie Mouse, and some of the accessories such as a camera mounted on a tripod, guitar and sticker photo album.

From a cursory glance, it does seem like MOST of the elements are printed, such as Mickey and Minnie’s eyes, the dots on her skirt, as well as the autographs – which is welcome.

Unfortunately, there are stickers in the album.

The language used in the press release is pretty interesting. It says that the set is “Part of a collection of inspiring LEGO building sets for adults interested in pop culture, art, architecture and design, they make an excellent gift for yourself or a Disney fan in your life looking for their next project.”

The “part of a collection” bit is intriguing, and makes me wonder what else might be out there, but it also looks to target more affluent and cultured adult LEGO fans based on that language.

While these look super impressive, and would make terrific display pieces, I can’t help but be bothered by the price. AU$279.99 for a sub-2000 piece set is incredibly poor value, and as great as these look, I just feel like these are priced at some sort of astronomical premium, reserved for the likes of Star Wars sets.

Call it the Disney tax, or LEGO trying to see how far they can push pricing, but it’s disappointing that they chose this price-point, especially in such trying economic times.

That said… with international travel and leisure activities severely curtailed by Covid-19… for those looking to get your Disney fix without going to a Disneyland, this could be exactly what you’re looking for.

LEGO 43179 Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse Buildable Characters goes on sale on 1 July 2020, and will be available from LEGO.com.

Are you a fan of these? Let me know what you think in the comments section!