Tag Archives: Bionicle

Bionicle was a line of sets that grew out of the LEGO Technic line that LEGO produced between 2001 and 2010, succeeded by Hero Factory. Bionicle had an incredibly complex storyline that accompanied the sets, and most of the elements didn’t integrate well with traditional SYSTEM bricks. As a result, long-time adult fans like the contributors here on The Brothers Brick never quite appreciated what Bionicle had to offer, so most of the LEGO models we feature here on The Brothers Brick are built from traditional SYSTEM bricks. Nevertheless, we do appreciate a great Bionicle creation from time to time.

Bwahaha. Soon I will rule this world

Your mileage may vary when it comes to LEGO’s Bionicle-style “constraction” figures. However, even the most militant “bricks-or-nothing” builders should recognise excellent construction skills, regardless of where some of the parts come from. Kelvin Low has simply smashed it with this stunning large-scale Skull Knight figure.

Kelvin has made smart choices with the large armour pieces — couple those with some beautiful greebling details between the plates, and a stylish splash of colour in the cape’s trim, and you’ve got a great piece of work. I love the sense of heft and power in this model. You get the impression the Skull Knight would stomp you into dust as soon as look at you…

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These two Bionicles are not identical

This is one of my creations that has been waiting for a few months to be uploaded, for many irrelevant reasons. I think this one takes a bit of insight to be appreciated fully. While my build (on the left) is a servicable mechanical build on its own, its true strengths can only be appreciated if compared to the original LEGO Bionicle 8532 Onua set on the right, as this is a piece-by-piece LEGO System recreation of the classic first generation Toa Onua set. My version is completely unstable and unplayable, but visually comes close enough to the official version that it passes my personal quality standard.

This was a somewhat quick build, but I was so inspired by the idea that it completely took over my life for a few days. It strikes me that Bionicle (or as the cool kids call it these days, “bonkle”) is quite similar to classic space in a way – while classic space is the most popular nostalgic theme for many older LEGO fans, Bionicle is the go-to nostalgia trip for ones growing up in the early 2000s, which makes it surprising how rare reproductions are. There are few even in the actual Bionicle building genre, but besides my build, I have only seen one other example of systemized Toa, but even that was just the builder taking his own spin on the concept.

Now, I have indeed built Toa Onua (because this one is the easiest to build due to wide selection of parts in both of his primary colours, black and very dark grey), and I see myself being able to build Toa Kopaka, but for any other ones my selection of parts just can not do. So here is a challenge to any builder brave enough and equipped for it: I would love to see more of the first generation Bionicle characters (or later ones?) made out of system parts!

10,000 bricks bring forth a monstrous black dragon

We do not feature Bionicle and similar creations on The Brothers Brick very often, but when we do, you can be sure they will be the absolute best of the best. Such is this enormous dragon built by Yeonghun Joe. The builder loves dragons, and it shows: Two months of daily building to bring this monstrosity to life. The end result is almost a meter-long and over half-a-meter-tall, 10,000-piece masterpiece that has more going for it than just its size.

The dragon has great dynamic shaping and an intense texture throughout, achieved with elements like wing pieces, armor parts, and shields. To a critical viewer, the wings may look too skeletal, but I am glad Yeonghun did not use cloth pieces here, as it might actually diminish the effect — and a brick-built solution would definetely be too heavy. As for the head, I am pleasantly surprised; when I advise people on dragon building tecniques, I tell them not to make teeth as they more often than not look bad, but in this case and at this scale they look just as they should. Creations made of Bionicle (and related themes’) pieces are usually poseable, so I wonder – is it so with Yeonghun’s dragon as well?

Zeus, God of thunder and the sky

Perennial TBB favorite Moko has given us a great blessing: Greek god Zeus in BIONICLE. Somehow I suspect the real Zeus would be jealous as this model is more fabulous than he is. There are a lot of things to comment on here, so let’s dive in.

The shields are perfectly sized and shaped to give Zeus the buff body that everyone, human or otherwise, seems to favor. The use of the gold mask as the shoulder gives great shaping – and check out those biceps! Appropriately, he is haloed by blades, adding to his intimidating stance. I particularly love his hair. That’s not a color you see often, if at all, and it makes this model stand out.

Toa Hahli, Angel of the Oceans

The angelic Toa Hahli was always a popular LEGO Bionicle character. This fantastic revamp from Anthony Wilson is sure to give fans a nostalgic glow. I particularly like the use of sword and panel pieces in the creation of the wings, and the transformation of the original set’s six-shooter into an elegant bow.

There are many forms of thirst

Generally, LEGO builders strive to avoid blocky, repetitive designs. And, of course, many of us cringe at the mere thought of large patches of exposed studs. But Loysnuva fully embraced these little-favoured styles in his latest creation, and the result is simply mesmerizing! These sand dunes have an almost pixilated quality to them that works wonderfully.

My initial thoughts about this LEGO scene had nothing to do with Bionicle (which is the actual source material). Instead, I imagined a sci-fi world where robots roamed computer-generated deserts. And let me tell you, I immediately wanted to know more about that world.

Beware the noble beast, but enjoy its grace

Serbian LEGO builder Djorkson is an adept Bionicle character builder, but this majestic black gryphon seems to be mostly made of exotic system parts, whilst retaining a Bionicle core. There are many interesting techniques used throughout the build, especially the shaping of the head. I must say I have a soft spot for mythical animals and the Gryphon is one of my secret favourites.

The builder has more photos in his Brickshelf folder, for anyone who is interested in alternate viewing angles.

Nightmares that invade our dreams are made of Bionicle parts

I’m both afraid and amazed at this winged, evil humanoid incarnation. Alieraah utilises a vast array of bionicle parts to create a monster that has various points of articulation and a well shaped organic form. This creates a pose-able creature with personality. The dynamic poses and expression keep me looking at it, and seeing new details every time I do. That tail looks absolutely deadly. Also, did you notice the Galidor piece that he uses?

Your heart will sink before the Heart Eater

Previously Anthony Wilson built an interesting kinetic LEGO sculpture of a beating heart. It was great to begin with, but now he has incorporated it an unsettling sculpture — The Heart Eater. Don’t miss the realistic skull and the pentagram in the base.

Check out this moody video of the heart beating in the monster’s hand. The builder says the lighting was not ideal, but I like to think it was deliberate to create a more eerie effect.

Interview with the LEGO Bionicle design team in Billund by New Elementary [Guest Post]

Here at The Brothers Brick, we tend to specialize in certain kinds of news, LEGO creations, and reviews, but thanks to our partnerships with other LEGO websites, we’re able to bring you more kinds of content. Please enjoy this excellent interview that originally appeared on New Elementary.

To conclude our farewell to LEGO® BIONICLE® “Generation 2”, we have an interview with three members of the team. This was actually recorded prior to the announcement that the theme would be ending, but of course these guys continue to make Constraction figures with The LEGO Group, so whilst BIONICLE is dead (or perhaps merely dormant), the elements live on!

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A Baltic blizzard blasts from this Bionicle build

A cold front has clearly influenced this build entitled Valtias, The Blizzard Tyrant by Dave Foreman. Although dominated by Bionicle parts, Dave has also used cold, icy parts from Chima and Hero factory to complete his build. The character started as a head using the Frost Beast mask from set 44011 Frost Beast and then borrows some armour and weapons from 8982 Strakk. A lot of frosty imagination has been used to complete this chilling tyrant. I particularly like the explosive blast of jagged shards extruding from his central chest and those sharp trans-blue claws on his hands and feet, that resemble built-in crampons.

Just don’t expect this tyrant to wash his hair – Dave admits that his huge chest has resulted in a rather limited shoulder movement. Despite the limited shoulder movement, Blizzard is still able to deftly hold those axes and is certainly not limited in charisma, as you can see from this ‘Joker-like’ pose.

You think it’s ugly now? Wait until the sun goes down

The Gamma Dragon by Mitch is, on the surface, just an absolutely huge blue dragon with a ridiculous amount of older Bionicle pieces used throughout.

But, when the lights go down, the abundance of pieces from 8935: Nocturn light up thanks to their glow in the dark properties.

The head, though, is from one of my personal favourite sets, 8922: Gadunka. I’d been meaning to turn that set into a mech since I got it back in 2007, but I can’t bear to take it apart.