Tag Archives: Biocup

The Bio-Cup is one of the most popular building competitions in the LEGO community. This annual fan-run event focuses on builds that utilize Bionicle and Constraction elements.

This gargoyle has gone from grotesque to gorgeous!

By many accounts, gargoyles were installed on the sides of buildings to ward off evil spirits and demons. That makes them heroes, despite their somewhat scary looks. But as Magmafrost13 demonstrates, throw a pink skirt on a monster and suddenly the scariness makes way for cuteness. Kind of. I have to admit, all I’m imagining is an anime in which a bunch of gargoyles have to learn to ward off a series of demons through the power of friendship, love, and togetherness. Magmafrost13, I have an idea for a pitch…

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Rolling up on a raid with your best goblin buddies

You know that feeling when you and your homies all pull up somewhere in matching drip and you feel like you could take on the world? That’s the vibe I’m getting from Eero Okkonen‘s trio of goblin buddies. They look absolutely rad, and full of character. Van-Gug in the middle is definitely the broody leader of the group – they organised this meet-up in the first place. On the left, that is – for want of a better word – the group clown, Bragg. There’s an opportunity to do something wild? They’re in on it. And they’re egged on by the behatted Kargas on the right. Yeah, they might be a little shy, but they still crack the funniest jokes out of nowhere. And you’d best believe they’ve all got each other’s backs with those big swords.

Getting deep into Bionicle lore with the Bio-Cup

The Bio-Cup, as the name suggests, challenges builders to make creative use of parts from LEGO’s beloved Bionicle theme. This theme covered a lot of ground, so it’s easy to draw comparisons between MOCs and sets, but Margit‘s latest reminds me of some of my favourite Bionicle villains. The underwater-dwelling Barraki were very reminiscent of some of the strange aquatic creatures you might see in the ocean deep. Creatures that have a certain ghostly quality. Which makes them perfect for Margit’s chosen sub-theme for this round of the Bio-Cup: Ghost/Wraith! See, it all comes full circle.

Margit’s spectral spectacle won her category in round 1. We can’t wait to see what she comes up for in Round 2!

Bio-Cup 2025: The stuff dreams and nightmares are made of [Feature]

You may recall our recently featured Tooth Fairy and the brilliant Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep LEGO creations. It’s all part of this year’s Bio-Cup in the theme of Dreams. I liked them so much, I wanted to conjure up a few more entries here. So wake up, shake the dreams from your hair and gather round while I help bring these creations to the forefront of your waking mind. Starting with a doozie, sometimes dreams make your skin crawl and you’d rather just tear yourself out of them. That’s the vibe I get with loafbuilds and their newest creation called Sleepless Cathedral of Flesh and Dream.

TBB’s own Jake Forbes takes inspiration from Slumberland and tells us that There is no surer way to reach Slumberland than atop a Slumberland Dreamwalker, a living bed with legs that bend like Eldritch snakes to cross the nightmare wastes.

Delve deeper into the dreamworld of Biocup 2025

You want the tooth? You can’t handle the tooth!

The internet’s best Bionicle-based building bonanza, the Bio-Cup, got up and running last week with its preliminary rounds. Margit has busted out her LEGO constraction pieces and is getting in on the action, too, with a tooth fairy! I’m sure we can expect some bright colours, clever contouring with some armour elements, and… Oh. Well, I guess it’s true that no-one’s ever seen the tooth fairy, so who’s to say this isn’t what it looks like? I do like the Visorak leg skirt, and the tooth-filled wings are clever too, using inverted clear dishes to keep the illusion of transparent membranes. I still wouldn’t want it coming anywhere near my pillow though.

Don’t lose sleep trying to count these electronic sheep

If you thought Blade Runner was a visionary mind trip, it’s positively prosaic compared to the novel its based on: Do Androids Dream of Electronic Sheep by Philip K. Dick. Builder Pierthviv pays tribute to the master of consciousness-questioning sci-fi with a book cover built from a truly eclectic mix of LEGO elements. While not directly referencing any cover I’m aware of, Pierthviv draws on very Dickian iconography, from the eyes in the machine, to the syringes in the cyber background, to the lenses upon lenses of the Voigt-Kampff machine.

A wider angle lets us better appreciate the builder’s craft. The constraction-style figure seamlessly blends organic musculature with cybernetic elements in a way that feels straight out of and 70s pulp sci-fi art. The Dreamzzz brain, exposed as a robot claw lifts of the top of the skull, is especially chilling. The sheep in the monitor is the only source of color and escape in this dystopian vignette, matching the theme of the novel.

Pierthviv created this chilling model for the first round of the 2025 Bio-Cup with the theme “Dreams.”

Don’t lose your head over this elegant mantis

The praying mantis female will sometimes consume the head of the male while mating. What’s this self-made widow’s secret? alex_mocs knows that there’s nothing more alluring than Bionicle and Constraction elements, seamlessly integrated into organic LEGO builds. This model of the
Viridis Mantidae is the pinnacle of elegance with a touch of menace. Like a master sculptor, alex manages to coax disparate LEGO elements together in ways that suggest that this was the role they were destined to play, from the green whip antennae to the Ninjago sail wings to the Bionicle chest.

alex_mocs is one of the organizers of the Bio-Cup. The first round, with the theme “Dreams,” closes on June 9th. If you’re interested in building MOCs that play with non-system elements like alex’s model here, it’s not too late to enter. Don’t worry – they won’t bite!

The magic of the Bio-cup lives on!

We often feature builds that are entered into the many contests the LEGO community holds, among them the Bio-Cup. But have you ever wondered what happens to these builds once the contest is over? Some are presumably dismantled, but Benjamin Anderson‘s wizard has found a new lease of life after contests’ end! The flowiness – for lack of a better word – is what give this magnificent mage so much character. The way his robes, hat and beard are billowing away from his staff suggests he’s cooking up a particularly spicy spell. As Benjamin put it in his caption: “I didn’t ask how big the room is, I said ‘I cast FIREBALL’!” I would stand back, everyone…

Woomy World’s torch of triumph

The Bio-Cup is an annual LEGO fan competition for creators who incorporate Bionicle and constraction parts, often focusing on organic shapes and evocative characters, with an emphasis on artistic interpretation of a theme. After a three month marathon of MOCs, the 2024 Bio-Cup winner has been crowned: Nathan Don (aka Woomy World)! The theme for the final round was, fittingly, “Final Boss.” Woomy’s answer is an epic jrpg-flavored manifestation of creative burnout, a villain many creatives are all too familiar with. The bottom half of the model, representing the “Soul of Emptiness,” features a wonderfully sculpted face in grey reminiscent of a stony Moai. Above, “Sheer Frustration” bursts from the head as an avatar of agony in all black. A behind-the-scenes peek, reveals more of how the dynamic statue was formed (including a vintage boat weight being used for balance).

We previously featured Woomy World’s enchanting owl from round 3 of this year’s competition, and the other builds that contributed to the win are equally impressive.

Take a victory lap through Woomy’s winning world!

This LEGO build is no stab in the dark!

In the dark of night a fancy assassin finds its target in this LEGO build by Seth Peacock (Obsessionist)! This Bio-Cup bird brings together a wide array of unique parts, so let’s take a closer look. Right under the roofline, that decorative brickwork is made of Rhotuka Spinner launchers above a couple of pieces from Bionicle’s Rahkshi. The arch of the window is made from two different types of rubber band holders, while the windowsill is made from projectile launchers. Finally, Seth got a lovely feathery texture from using the Visorak foot to make up the bird’s tail. It’s a good thing that bird isn’t a crow, otherwise there might be a murder!

Oh the Hu-manatee

This excellent LEGO build by Legonerdphotos! steals and borrows pieces from a powerful array of Bionicle heroes and villains! Its head is made from the all-mighty Mask of Life, while its shoulders and tail fins are made from the head-pieces of the great Bohrok-Kal. The little bundle of seaweed the manatee is carrying is a hairpiece from a single minifigure from the Hidden Side line. Speaking of vegetation, the grass at the front to either side of the scene comes from spines of the Barraki lord Ehlek. Further back, the tall fronds are from this year’s Dreamzzz Cat-Owl and the vast field in the middle is made from Gresh’s shoulder guards. All-in-all Legonerdphotos has put together a lovely diorama that shows it’s better down where it’s wetter; take it from manat-me!

Aye-aye-aye... Is our reaction to this surprisingly creepy jungle critter

Long-time TBB readers will know that our unofficial mascot is a lemur. Why? Well, not only is A. Lemur our resident dogsbody, he’s also the cutest* member of the TBB team, and therefore best suited to the role. Don’t tell him, obviously – he’ll ask for a snack raise, and he already pretends to be the boss when Andrew isn’t looking. In all seriousness, we should count ourselves lucky; we could have ended up with something creepier, like Velocijacktor‘s aye-aye. Now these little primates can be pretty un-nerving in the flesh, at least if Google Images is anything to go by. But rendered in Bionicle pieces, and eyeing up that poor little beetle, suddenly it looks like an other-wordly horror. Yep, we can be content that we just have to contend with our lemu-hey! No! For the last time, the server cables are not for eating!

*relatively speaking, of course