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.

The Maestro is ready to drop some ‘bows

While I haven’t been plotting any LEGO villainy in the opening round of this year’s Bio-Cup, I have been working with brown Bionicle bits as of late for my own malicious machinations. So let me tell you, Ted Andes was employing quite the limited part palette when he took on a violin-themed evil-doer, Il Maestro Di Violino. The shape he’s managed here is excellent, and the incorporation of the Kakama Kanohi mask is perfect. For a “last minute entry,” this feels like a well-planned symphony of parts. It immediately conveys “violin” and “villain” with just one glance.

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A platypus? A... LEGO platypus?

*gasp* PERRY the LEGO platypus?! That’s right, the intrepid Agent P and his erstwhile nemesis Dr. Doofenshmirtz are the subject of Tino Poutiainen‘s latest build. The devious doctor’s latest scheme is taking aim at the LEGO Character and Creature Building System (CCBS) line! This machine, dubbed the Systeminator, will reduce all your glorious Bionicle and Hero Factory pieces to mere studs. Poor Perry here is the first victim. Is this how Tino is planning to eliminate the competition in the 2023 Bio-Cup, for which this is built? Is that even legal? I’m not sure the regulations accounted for this eventuality. Can we get a ruling on this? Like, quickly? Perry’s in danger!

A villain who’s darkest when alight

Each year, the Bio-Cup competition brings forth some of them most inspired LEGO character creations in the business. Case in point, check out the Ghostlight Sovereign by Eann (Miscellanabuilds). Looking like some kind of Lumiere from the Mirror Universe, this waxen wight elicits some superb spookiness from the eerie blue glow of its candles. The real work done in this build doesn’t come from any part made of plastic, though. The use of LEGO-official cloth pieces, whether in the cape adding volume to the figure or the tattered rags in place of legs, somehow simultaneously add and subtract “weight” from the Sovereign, showing it to be of two worlds.

And if you’d like to see more from Bio-Cups of yesteryear, you can check them out in our archives.

An upgrade every computer should have.

When a program on your PC stops responding, there’s only one hero who can save the day: The Task Manager. Ivan Martynov has personified the Task Manager in battle against a monstrous glitch in this fantastic Bio-Cup entry. The scene works especially well thanks to a terrific trio of pop-up browser windows, which the bug is crawling through. The full build is an action-packed reminder to save your work often.

A hero in danger needs to maintain perspective

The insect-themed Captain Flywing tries to evade the terrifying tongue of Mr. Tad the Toad in a comic cover-worthy LEGO build by Nikita Nikolsky. The dramatic perspective achieved in this shot is due not just to the angle of the photograph, but the size certain elements were built at. Captain Flywing’s head and left hand are built to a larger scale than his right hand or his legs. But when viewed from the proper angle, it creates the illusion of a perfectly proportioned crime fighter in a dynamic action shot.

The bloodcurdling Bloodsmith is bloody brilliant.

I’ve learned so much about the cardiovascular system lately. First it turns out that oxygen is hauled around by tiny men on motorbikes, and now buttloaf_builds reveals where blood comes from – the Bloodsmith! This Bio-Cup entry makes extra eerie use of minifigure crowbars as spindly fingers on his four hands. And the golden tubing gives just the right pop of color without distracting from the deadly red and black. This is definitely a science lesson that’s gonna keep me up at night.

In order to finish first, you first must finish (building)

Calling a build for a contest ‘First Place’ could be seen as a tad arrogant. But I think we can let it slide in Vohdoff‘s case given the quality of this latest Bio-Cup effort. It’s a build so smooth I had to triple-check it was indeed made of Bionicle pieces, let alone regular LEGO! All the panels are so seamlessly blended – I bet this thing cuts through the air like butter. The bike itself is very Akira-esque. It bears a resemblance to modern high-performance motorcycles you might see on the road, but there are just enough unusual elements to give it a near-future sci-fi aesthetic. The same could be said for the rider in their chunky leathers. Take the head, for instance: it comes from a K-2SO buildable figure, which could imply a mechanical pilot. But it looks just human enough that it could equally be a futuristic helmet suitable for high-speed riding. Either way, they have good taste in machinery!

Neither rain nor sleet nor discarded fruit skin...

There’s almost too much clever parts usage in this LEGO delivery-monkey character by Nikita Nikolsky. Nah, I’m just kidding. You can never have enough excellent part usage! With the red snake for the monkey’s tie, the Dots bracelet for the strap on its mailbag, and the Bohrok masks strapped on as knee and elbow pads, this build is certainly overflowing with examples. The motion Nikita has created here is fantastic, with the rocket shoes shooting out flames and the white smoke trail leading up to a bit of hazardous fruit. It’s clear that letters are about to start flying! And I’ve got to take a minute to marvel at those shoes, some of the best brick-built ones I’ve seen. The white tread, on full display as our runner falls prone, is a symphony of texture befitting the rocket-propelled footwear.

A LEGO builder in his element

If there’s anyone I trust to build a spirit consisting of the five elemental forces, it’s got to be Eero Okkonen. I mean, after all, the dude writes for a LEGO blog called New Elementary, so he’s got to be an expert! And, in typical “Eero” fashion, earth, wind, fire, water, and void aren’t the only elements excellently displayed here. That bending trunk of Bionicle bits looks so organic, especially in contrast to the stone corners of the nearby lantern. And I absolutely love the plating used for the warrior’s kusazuri, as well as the shaping of their hair. It seems very similar to the design for “Wind” within the kami, strands snaking down onto armored shoulders. The largely grayscale nature of the build helps to make all the colors pop out, even more, drawing the eye to the orange of the spirit, the pink flowers of the tree, and the gold worn by the warrior.

What happens when a Kaiju joins the human side?

The answer to the question posed in the title is demonstrated in this fascinating creation, built by Ryan Z. The model has an elongated form and is adapted for human use by having a carrier section on its back. The face has an interesting design with two large angled slopes placed together sideways with a green snowboard representing the tongue of the creature. The carrier section features a control tower overlooking a short runway where fighters can launch from. It could be quite the bumpy ride for those in the tower section, especially if this beast moves in a lizard like motion.

A kaiju that really makes a splash in the world

Xamura might look monstrous, but never fear. This kaiju creation by Cody Avery is actually a pretty swell fella. Descending down from his home in the stars, he uses his powers to defend cities and provide them water. (We could use his help in California right now.) Xamura’s primarily black color scheme really helps his pieces blend together to create an effective organic look, with just enough visible texture and pops of color to keep it interesting. And we can practically hear the waves as the wall of water from his tail curves around the delightful microscale city at his feet.

Even leviathans feel a little crabby sometimes

Something slumbers in the depths beneath Shipwreck Reef, and Magmafrost13 gives it definition in LEGO form. The kaiju wakes when a massive ship of humanity’s hubris sinks and falls onto the reef. The leviathan reclaims the ship, adding its hull to its own reef encrusted exterior. Now the Crab of Shipwreck Reef comes for humanity. How cool is this build?! This cranky little kaiju features a Bionicle infrastructure with wonderful incorporation of some cool LEGO parts. Of course, what LEGO parts aren’t cool, eh? I especially like the use of the Pteranodon wings on the carapace by the face. The coloring and texture of the wings add some awesome definition. Another great usage I’m fond of is the use of the Bionicle heads for stone/part of the reef structure. There are even tiny little crabs in the reef, coming along for the ride to witness the leviathan’s retribution.