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.

Bloomin’ Kraata

Ahh, Kraata. The 2003 attempt by LEGO to match the catch-em-all collectability of Pokémon with slug-like Bionicle creatures. If you look closely at these exotic plants from Will Hafner, you can see the subtle variations that distinguish the different stages of their life cycle. Will has even created a flower with just the rare seventh-stage Shadow Kraata (those are the violet ones). I also like the vase, which looks like it began life as a Bionicle canister lid. There’s no doubt these are some cool-looking blooms, but I think if I saw them in my garden I’d be a bit concerned about invasive species.

If you’re looking for more biologic diversity, check our archives for more amazing floral creations.

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The turtle with a small world on her back

Grayson M‘s latest creation reminds me a little of the Discworld books, which is certainly no bad thing! He has created a charming sea turtle with a whole world on her back – a world of coral. The reef on the turtle’s back allows for some inventive parts use; everything from zamor spheres and macaroni tubes to wheels and Bionicle blades is in there. Impressively all this is happening without making it feel too crowded – the variation in parts, textures, and size seems very carefully done to achieve this. But don’t let the bright colours of the reef distract you from the ingenious construction of her head! This uses a Brachiosaurus body from the short-lived Dinosaurs theme from 2001. It’s a perfect complement to the colourful coral and gives a weathered look to this reef mother.

Exploring the cycle of life and death in all its haunting beauty

The cycle of Life and Death is something that most don’t like to think about, because it’s seen as scary. However, as we see here in this LEGO build by Dylan Mievis, it can also be beautiful. This build is for the Bio-Cup contest, where builders have to use pieces from Bionicle, Technic, Galidor, etc. The theme is “Nature”, and there’s nothing quite so natural as Life and Death, which Dylan describes as a “beautiful symphony”. In the build we see a potted plant growing up and through the seated human skeleton. The thriving plant brings a sense of wonder and grace to what would typically be frightening and stark. Of course, the plant doesn’t hold a monopoly on beauty. The amount of detail in the skeleton is astounding! It’s not often we get to see the radius and ulna in skeleton arms, or the tibia and fibula in the legs.

Even the knee caps are present, and the fingers and toes articulate. The ribcage is impressive as well, a good use of horns. I really like the design behind the spinal column. The ball joint connector has always reminded me of vertebrae, and here it fulfills that purpose. And let’s not forget to mention the wheelchair! It’s full of fantastic Technic parts, from the wheels to the footrests. The simplicity of the plant twining throughout pairs nicely with the complexity of the skeleton and chair. There’s a bittersweet note with the gold ring on the skeleton’s finger, speaking to a life left behind… Altogether, this shows the balance and cyclical nature of existence. Life turns to death, and death to new life. Truly, a hauntingly beautiful harmony in the symphony of the universe.

Pet the space doggy. What can go wrong?

Occasionally you hear stories of people with diminished reasoning and an overblown sense of entitlement climbing into a bear cage at the zoo to get a good selfie with the big cuddly teddy. Drama ensues and often the photo doesn’t turn out as post-wothy as expected. That’s just evolution working itself out, really. Speaking of evolution, LEGO builder Vohdoff demonstrates some highly evolved skills with Bionicle. Behold the Blooming Wolf! I’m loving the use of pretty pink flowers on this tentacle-butted beast. However, if it’s crouching hunter’s stance doesn’t signal danger the blade in its snarling teeth just might. I’m convinced to enjoy this odd creature from a very safe distance; lightyears away, in fact. If you’re braver than I am check out our beastiary of wild and wooly creatures in our archives.

I’d like to present this mighty pleasant pheasant

I have a real soft spot for birds, especially those built out of LEGO. Matt Goldberg has come up with a beauty of a build that is sure to ruffle a few feathers! Speaking of feathers, these are quite tricky to depict in LEGO due to their unique texture — they’re sort of like fluffy scales. Matt has used a plethora of parts to pull off the plumage here, from Hero Factory armour to minifigure arms. The tail feathers are the most spectacular of the lot, mainly using tentacle and horn pieces to great effect. Also present in the tail – and the wings, for that matter – are flexible pieces from 80012 Monkey King Warrior Mech. It’s a smart use of these pieces that I’ve only seen used in a small handful of builds. Not only that, it’s functional as well; you might be forgiven for thinking this bird can’t surely stand up on those two tiny legs, and, well, it can’t. The tail serves to conceal the structure to hold this phenomenal pheasant to the equally well-presented base. Very cunning!

Block out the monsters with music

This eerie scene by Djorkson, is one thought-provoking build. The menacing apparition, looming over a humanoid monkey, possibly represents the inner turmoil of the swaggering primate. The piercing red eyes and pointed claws of the creature provide the build with a threatening aura. The tongue of the creature appears to be an old Rahkshi worm piece. Stalked by the monster, the monkey blocks it out with large headphones made from wheel rims. The addition of the musical note pieces, from the Trolls sets, is also a nice touch emphasizing music playing from the headphones. One of the most inventive techniques of the build has to be the upside-down bread bun used to represent the monkey’s mouth. Let’s hope the chilled-out primate can ignore out the stalking darkness.

This build really gets my goat

One of my favorite creatures of folklore is the Chupacabra, an animal known for draining the blood of goats and other livestock. Builder Joss Woodyard has created a post-apocalyptic take on this cryptid with the Gamma Sucker. No doubt livestock is harder to come by in the wasteland, so this nuclear-powered techno-beast drinks the radiation from whatever it can.

The use of color here creates the sense of a mechanical creature that’s coursing with energy and life, despite its dirty and rusted frame. And I love the implied function of the “digestive system.” It’s so easy to imagine the absorbed radiation flowing through the trans-clear/lime hoses, into those processing tanks on the side, and then getting fed into the rear-mounted engine to drive those giant treads, which just push the monster forward in search of more radiation. It’s a vicious cycle, but a guy’s gotta eat.

This cat will leave more than just a scratch

This ferocious feline comes from the talented builder, DanielBrickSon. The beast is named “Meara the Metalworks Tiger” and has fought through the first round of the Biocup competition, allowing its creator to proceed to the next stage. The hulking form of the tiger is made up of a great variety of Bionicle pieces, all applied to create beautiful shaping throughout the model. In order to portray the twisting spine of the build, DanielBrickSon has used Barraki crossbow pieces as their rubbery texture allows them to bend.

Rare armoured mask parts are used to form the tense shoulders and areas of the upper back legs. The model is reminiscent of Battle Cat from He-Man, if the cat went fully armoured. There’s also a 360 spin so that you can gaze upon all of the model’s glorious details.

Not quite the angel you might have been expecting

As this sinister-looking creature, known as Zeurel, looms over the countryside, it’s hard to imagine that this beast is actually deemed as an “angel.” Hailing from the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, these angels are antagonistic creatures, causing chaos and destruction. Builder Lache has interpreted the original design in Lego form as an entry for this year’s Biocup. The wide spread of tentacles provides the model with a sense of mass and power. The use of a large inversed tyre creates a bulbous form around its short but significant head. Penetrating eyes peer through the slits in a Bionicle mask which creates the puppet-like face. But the most impressive use of pieces has to be in the green landscape at the bottom of the build. It’s cleverly made up of various Bionicle parts such as Piraka feet pieces.

If you love Evangelion you can check more articles, on builds from the anime, here.

How to train your Robot

We’ve been seeing some fantastic builds from this year’s Biocup recently, and here’s another one by Djokson. The model takes inspiration from comic book artist Ashley Woods and his Pet Metal paintings. The muscular robot has a military aesthetic and looks to have been repurposed by its new master. Kylo Ren’s mask is used backwards to create the helmet of the robot. There’s a great use of circles on this build; mainly in the form of tyre parts which really encourages you to stare into the robot’s glaring eye created by a golden ring piece. The hair piece for the woman is a really old part first featured back in the 70’s. It’s quite easy to imagine this pair trundling through the wastelands, maybe looking for a better pair of legs for the robot. You can see some more great articles about Biocup entries here.

You light up my life. You know, because you’re a lamp.

There’s something extra cool when LEGO crosses paths with Art Nouveau. This amazing wasp-winged table lamp, designed by Ted Andes, was inspired by antique Tiffany lamps. And as cool as that lampshade “glass” is, I admire the twisting metalwork accents the most. Although the small details like the gracefully curving wall plug and period-accurate light-switch are also in the running.

Taking off the top, you can better see the brick-built vintage lightbulb and the complex construction that went into the shade’s base. Seen out of context, that lampshade could easily double for a Matrix-inspired robotic vehicle. Amazing work, there.

Built as part of the Bio-Cup contest, Ted was limited to using 100% LEGO elements. That means that this lamp doesn’t light up…yet. Ted says that he plans to add that “non standard” functionality in the future, with an eye on displaying it at an in-person LEGO convention. You know, when those are a regular thing again.

Matthias of Redwall is ready for battle

LEGO builder Matt Goldberg presents us with this impressive build of Matthias from the Redwall books, written by Brian Jacques. The model is an entry in the Bio Cup competition and portrays the protagonist of the first Redwall novel. Matt has captured the rodent-like features, even the bulbous eyes, of the young mouse. Rounded plates at the face and knees assist in creating the anthropomorphic form of the body. Ready to hear enemies nearby, the large ears of the model are created using the reverse side of armour pieces. It’s nice to see some Knights’ Kingdom pieces make an appearance such as the sword and the pauldron armour at the shoulders. Let’s hope there’s a grand feast awaiting the young hero at Redwall Abbey.