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 tree is deer to me.

Have you seen the film Annihilation? It’s one of my favorites; a great mix of storytelling and really gorgeous (if disquieting) visuals. alex-mocs has perfectly captured the eerie beauty of biologic mutation seen there with their creation The Shimmer. There’s some very creative work in the base, with animal-oriented LEGO elements melded seamlessly into the greenery. The star of the show, though, is the central tree/deer creature. My favorite touch is the Bionicle ball-joint connector that forms the mouth. You can almost hear the sound this being is making, but is it a cry of pain or celebration? Like most things in the Shimmer, it’s really hard to say for sure.

The biologic themes of this creation are very apt, considering this was an entry to the Bio-Cup challenge. Check out our archives for more featured builds inspired by that contest!

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Even Bionicles need to fish!

This fun build by Lache takes us back to the days of LEGO Bionicle with this upgraded version of a Matoran villager. Through the use of bright yellows and soft blues, the model has been provided with a striking colour scheme. A classic mask forms part of the torso on each side with Lache making good use of the open section in the mask. The thick rubber boots of the model have been created by inversing tyre parts which complete the fisher aesthetic. The bucket is a nice simple build with some familiar squid projectiles from the Barraki line. This is one that makes me want to fish out my Bionicles and make a village of Matoran. It’s easy to imagine this colourful character working down at the docks of a town and fishing out on a vast ocean.

Bulked-up Benny

When The LEGO Movie debuted in 2014, the world was introduced to Benny, a Classic LEGO Spaceman with an enthusiastic love of spaceships. In 2019, The LEGO Movie 2 gave Benny an apocalyptic upgrade which found him sporting a clawed robot arm and carrying a toolbox. Now, builder Chris Yee has upgraded Benny yet again, translating Benny’s apocalyptic minifigure look into a larger Bionicle/Hero Factory style figure. I particularly love the Classic Space logo recreated with a pearl gold conical hat and a red minifigure hand and rubber bands. I’m forced to wonder if there’s a spaceship spaceship spaceship! in all the galaxy that’s capable of containing this much awesome.

All hail the Great He-Goat!

Francisco Goya’s disturbing Black Paintings — in particular “Witches’ Sabbath” or “The Great He-Goat” in the Prado Museum in Madrid today — have inspired Joss Woodyard‘s latest entry in the ongoing BioCup contest. The Satanic figure is surrounded by gloom, lit by a circle of candles, wearing a shaggy cloak made of black wings. The yellow lever base is terrifyingly perfect for the slit-eyed gaze of the Dark Lord, while minifig arms provide the split lip of the beast’s muzzle. In its left arm, the Devil carries what appears to be a swaddled child, perhaps a sacrificial victim.

In addition to naturally organic shapes from Bionicle and Hero Factory, Joss softens the shapes further with tires and strings. All of this makes the He-Goat’s exposed rib-cage all the more horrifying, built from insect or spider legs. I can nearly hear the chitinous rustling as he lurches toward you in the dark…

Praise Tlāloc! Lord of clouds, god of waters, bringer of fertility to the parched land...

The annual BioCup competition is producing a wonderful range of LEGO Bionicle creations in many themes, but my favorite so far is Latin American mythology, with fantastical gods like the Aztec god of death Mictlantecuhtli by Tino Poutiainen. But my favorite so far is the Aztec rain god Tlāloc by Vlad Lisin. Tlāloc has characteristic round eyes and fangs, and wears a verdant crown with clouds encircling his waist. I love how Vlad uses click-joints for Tlāloc’s necklace, and the Bionicle mask at the top of the water flowing from the barrel is a brilliant use of parts.

Way back in 2006, I built the Aztec pantheon as minifigures — strange enough to go mildly viral through the “blogosphere” in the era before social media — but these latest figures show the power of large-scale builds using organic pieces from Bionicle and Hero Factory.

Just out for a stroll under the old Elktree

Either the hunter in this LEGO creation by Tino Poutiainen is secretly a pacifist, or he’s just clueless, as he strolls along between the giant legs of the elusive Birchwood Elk. A creature who might have been entirely inspired by those black parts used for the hooves, which are truly the perfect part. The foliage sprinkled throughout the legs and antlers, along with the blend of black parts mixed in with the white simulate the distinct look of a Birch tree.

Brother, that is going to leave a stain

When I look at this dilapidated cyborg creation by Anthony Wilson My first reaction is to feel sorry it, as it seems to have sprung a leak, spilling ooze out of its chest. Until I take a closer look at the tank on its back and see some poor creature wriggling around inside. In any case, I love the many gears cobbled together to form the torso and the gangly, mismatched arms.

The wendigo is scary indeed...

The 2019 Bionicle-building challenge Biocup is on and LEGO Bionicle enthusiast chubbybots has jumped into the ring swinging. The first round’s theme is scary monsters, which I definitely think this wendigo fits into. Intimidation and furious brutality are the words that spring to mind. The Hero Factory Hand Armor as the top of its head was an excellent choice that brings those stark white teeth to the foreground on that monstrous underbite. Those rubber tyres on the arms and ankles remind me of the tufts of hair on a minotaur. I wonder it played some role as a muse while chubbybots started to piece this guy together? My favourite piece use on this terrifying vision would have to be a tie between the four eyes made from small red lever bases and the shadow trap, creating what looks like the end of a gnarly set of gauntlets.

Be sure to stop by and check out some of the other contenders in this year’s Biocup!

The heart is the soul, and sometimes the path to death

Biocup 2019 has kicked off this year with a preliminary theme of all things scary. Biocup is a fan friendly organised event where builders challenge themselves to use Lego Technic, Bionicle, CCBS (Creature and Character Building Systems) and Constraction with having little or no traditional LEGO System bricks involved. This particular round is themed on creations built on things that scare or put fear into your heart or send chills down your spine. Builder [VB]’s creation of a heart nailed right through is something to be afraid of. As much as the heart is one of the strongest muscle in the body, it’s also the one that can be the weakest or darkest in soul.