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.

Here comes the bloody sun!

If you like your sunshine with blood and guts then you’ve come to the right place, Damien. Here we see a seated LEGO figure built by Sandro Quattrini. At first glance, it may look like a sunny, meditative guru but upon closer inspection, you’ve got heart, lungs, intestines, all the important internal organs. The upsidedown minifig head as the heart is admittedly quite brilliant. Whether this is the workings of the builder’s crazed imagination or something inspired by a Tool album cover, I am not certain. However, it all somehow appeals to my dreary sensibilities. Upon real close inspection, it would seem that Sandro will need to send this sunny guru to the bathroom soon. Just sayin’.

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So, head or no head?

Guys only want one thing and it’s disgusting. However, in the world of praying mantises, that doesn’t always work out. It’s the lady who gets the head — literally. Expert builder Djokson sets the table for a romantic candlelit dinner, with fancy tablecloth and a glass of wine. Lady mantis appears to have been stood up by her suitor, until her meal is served on a big platter.

While this is a fun scene, we have to talk about NPU when we write about Djokson’s many ingenious creations. For example, Lady mantis wears pieces of cloth that can only be from either Scala or Belville — two old LEGO themes full of large dolls. It’s just hard for me to pinpoint which cloth piece is from which. However, the eye sockets of each mantis are the shoes of said dolls, with the good old minifigure arms wedged inside them. Other pieces include the rubbery Krana and Kraata from Bionicle, which Djokson uses in the head and stomach respectively. I also enjoy the use of the fantastical key element from LEGO Elves, which gives the elbows a spindly look.

I guess you could say Djokson’s builds make me… lose my head.

I am Maktooti, the bionic man!

This is what happens in the Multiverse of Madness! Over ten years ago, the story of Bionicle was as convoluted as some of the Marvel comics – full of overlapping story threads and alternate dimension-hopping shenanigans. At one point, it is revealed that there exists a version of the Bionicle universe where Makuta – the franchise’s big bad – isn’t big bad, but big good. Matt Goldberg built this alternate version of Makuta, with a bright colour scheme and elegance that oozes raw not-evil power.

Matt combines elements of LEGO’s original Makuta set and a build by Yannick Godts that was inducted into official Bionicle canon. As both of those were over ten years ago, and recent innovations in building made it possible for this character to be refined. For instance, LEGO introduced most of the current “constraction” pieces after Bionicle’s ending, and Matt uses them to great effect. He also includes regular LEGO elements in gold which match golden armour pieces from Legend of Chima buildable figures. Despite Bionicle having an aesthetic of greebly details, the clean look gives this Makuta a slick yet ancient look. And this is why many Bionicle builders love revamping old sets and characters.

*title is in reference to an actual Bionicle commercial from 2003

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.

Aloysius Animo, at your service

Fans of Ben 10 may recognize this Earth-68 version of the conflicted Doctor Animo, a genius in mutagenic effects and subsequently frequent bad guy. This build by The Underscored Double is an awesome representation of the character. The modeling and color-blocking hit on key points of his design, like the tech strapped to his chest or the exposed brain, antennae, and goggles. The claws are also a perfect match with the lime green accents. In addition to this villain, we’re also given a great version of an alien on Ben’s Omnitrix, the Stinkfly. The ghostly green color palette, as well as the translucent green head, compliment the wealth of interesting Bionicle and Galidor pieces used by the builder to mold this complicated character.

If you enjoy builds like this, check out some more characters. If you’d like to see more by this builder, you can find them on Flickr or Instagram (@theunderscoreddouble).

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.

Built for the fearless adventurer

Spaceship! I will always react that way to any swooshable model starcraft. Builders love to show off their knowledge of the LEGO system by the way they mold and craft the shapes of their starships. In addition, the eye-catching detail, or greeble, they add shows off some of their brick collection as well as their ingenuity in representing the elements of a spaceship. In this wonderful model, Starfighter Intrepid, builder seb71 shows off some of their skill.

Having a history of well-crafted spaceships, seb71 has brought us an eye-catching, sand-green design highlighted with white plates and tiles built cleverly into the wings and body. If you look at the structure of the Intrepid closely, you can see the various orientations the builder used to achieve their desired design. The stickers seb71 used add just the right amount of extra detail. I love the large white slopes in the wings, often used in the Imperial Shuttle sets. They work perfectly with the structure as well as the color-blocking.

Read on to see more views of this fantastic spaceship

Who dares to enter the arena against this Bionicle-fused colossus?

This LEGO creation from Pietro Eugenio Marcer is full of energy. Titled “Phobus – Champion of the Arena”, it’s inspired by the old Bionicle LEGO theme from the early-mid 2000’s. The build appears to be structurally sound, with room to make several poses; we’ll showcase a few below. The few splashes of green play well with the grays and blacks, adding visual interest without overpowering the overall look.

Here we see Phobus in a more standard pose, showing off a dangerous-looking ax attached to a long chain. He’s ready to do some serious damage to the next opponent who enters the arena.

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.

Just trying to get a head

Some LEGO elements are easy to upsize, and some are a nightmare of odd angles and complex shapes that defy common techniques. This was a challenge ToM Dracone (@yannickbuildsthings) was up for, though, as this super-sized Bionicle Toa head is a spot-on likeness. I’m particularly fond of the eye ridge/side of the head angling. This statue also has a great base, with sandy colors and greenery that harken back to the Island of Mata Nui. The gold Hau mask helps provide a sense of scale, making this head feel like a massive totem on the shoreline.

If you’d like to see more photos and details, check out yannickbuildsthings’ LEGO Ideas submission. And when you’re done there, why not delve into our archives for more great featured Bionicle creations?

Gnepnug the Forager gathers mushrooms

Behold! Another fun little LEGO creation by John Snyder featuring a woodland gatherer. I’ll be honest, my first thought upon seeing this build was, “Oh, look! The Wicked Witch of the West!” But then I saw the title and realized it was an insanely cooler character, Gnepnug the Forager. I’ve never seen anyone use a Bionicle leg plate before as a face, but this works! The use of multiple minifigure capes for worn-in clothing was a clever idea. I also appreciate the lack of a baseplate, with John instead opting for what appears to be a green LEGO sail piece.

Who needs a hawk or falcon when you have a dragon?

Falconry – the practice of training birds of prey to hunt with/for humans – is an ancient tradition. For centuries, we’ve revered raptors. And in popular culture, movies captivate us with images of both medieval and tribal figures sharing relationships with these fierce birds. But perhaps in another, more magical world, dragons fill the role. Ever-talented LEGO builder Joss Woodyard has brought the chief of some distant culture to life, along with his small, fiery beast. Who said dragons have to be giant?

As always, with Jayfa’s builds, the character is clad in awesome elements (love those dark red spikes!) and stands in a commanding pose. Of course, the best part is the ode to the original LEGO Castle dragons with the red and green motif. While you’re here, check out more of Jayfa’s recent builds, and see if you can find the common element between them.