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.

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?

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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.

Going nuclear with this toxic villain

Here is a toxic sludge LEGO Bionicle figure built by Rockmonster2000. It’s here to cramp your style, chap you hide, harsh your mellow, or whatever it is they do with toxic nuclear sludge nowadays. This villain is just oozing with personality! It may not be the personality that’ll win over the nuclear safety inspector but it’s personality nonetheless. Where’s the Toxic Avenger when you need him?

Tex Wrangler hits all the sweet spots

Matt Goldberg’s latest LEGO creation is challenging me to step out of my comfort zone. I am a fan of LEGO but bionicle and technic LEGO are just not my cup of tea. My knowledge of parts in these themes is very limited too. But Matt’s creation is so damn perfect that I just have to cover it! LEGO western was my favorite theme when I was a kid and the Tex Wrangler hits all the sweet spots for me. From the spurs to the big golden revolvers to the bullet belt. The Hero Factory Chest Badge makes him look like the town sheriff and the Ben 10 flexible shoulder neck piece partly turned inside out works perfectly as a cowboy hat.

Rotor is coming in hot!

What would Bionicle characters look like if they were designed by fans? That’s what some LEGO fans have been exploring, and one recent example is this Bionicle villain by awesomenessborn. The answer seems to be that they’d be a bit bigger than most Bionicle characters were, a whole lot more detailed, and totally cool. At first glance I thought this character was much smaller, and then I spotted the orange wheel used as a shoulder. And I was nearly fooled into thinking that was an official Bionicle mask he was wearing, but it’s actually made out of a handful of pieces, including a Pakari mask on top. With the huge chopper blade on top, I’m almost getting the vibe of Roboriders/Slizers.

And speaking of fans and Bionicle, don’t forget to check out the official LEGO Ideas fan vote to revive a classic theme, where Bionicle is one of the four finalists!

This frightening flower could eat you right up

The new LEGO Bouquet set is all the rage right now, so it’s cool to see some LEGO fans build their own brick-built potted plants. Aiden Rexroad joined in the fun with a truly frightening Flos Corpus.

This creation is impressive in that you can, more or less, see all the parts he used. But don’t let that relative simplicity take anything away from how terrific (or terror-ific) this flower looks. This meat-eating plant brandishes rows of sharp teeth tucked inside some beautiful purple petals — petals expertly made up of purple Bionicle Pakari masks. The Bionicle theme continues down the stem, with leaves of Bionicle Rahkshi Kraata. Luckily this little plant is contained to a pot. If it had legs, I’d be truly scared of it walking over, licking me with its slimy pink tongue, and taking a big chomp outta my leg.

Constraction faction, why the detraction?

I’ve got to be honest, I never liked constraction figures from LEGO. Personally, I thought Bionicle was lame and more than a little cheesy, the Knights Kingdom, Ben 10, superheroes, and Legends of Chima big figures even worse, and the Star Wars ones at best mildly interesting. Better than Galidor, certainly, but not by much. I was a System builder, period. Perhaps my position is evolving, however, or else I just love great LEGO building when I see it, because this character from Matt Goldberg is amazing. The color blocking is on-point, with bold, crisp red contrasting with the grey, and that gold visor just pops. The whole head is just perfect, in fact. Add in some superhero power bursts, and you have a dynamic sci-fi hero ready to save me from my anti-constractionist bigotry.

The stars align for a classic space nova

Bionicle Day, 8/10 (810nicle), is behind us, and we’re catching up by celebrating some builds that incorporate the popular buildable figure elements from LEGO’s past. Blake Foster found inspiration to use Bionicle elements such as Macku‘s helmet and Hero Factory feet (ball and socket configuration) for the side of the hull. The standard blue LEGO Classic Space hue is an obvious homage to the 1986 LEGO Cosmic Fleet Voyager. Just don’t expect to see Benny fit into this space fighter, because it is micro-scale. After some quick research on novae, I get why Blake Foster named it “Nova Class.” It is akin to nova, the astronomical event where new stars form and explode, shining bright and slowly fading, just as Blake described how the build constantly came apart during its construction. For now, bask in its glow.

A voodoo-head from the time before time

Waking up on a tropical island has become a familiar premise to many LEGO fans familiar with Bionicle. Awesomenessborn brings us an odd tribal figure on a small sandy landscape dominated by a stone head statue. It may not look like the colourful mechanical warriors of Bionicle, but instead it resembles the prototype figures from the theme’s development phase. Originally nicknamed Bone-Heads of Voodoo Island, the figures looked more innocent and less war-like, which the builder captures very well. The proportions of the figure’s body, with its thin waist and protruding stomach are reminiscent of earlier Bionicle sets.

The statue on the other hand, is terrifying compared to the figure. Overgrown with plants and vines, it resembles a weathered skull that contrasts the smooth raised baseplate from an old pirate set which is used as the small landscape. To complete the foreboding mystery of this world, there are also some spiders on top of the statue. One can even spot a nasty surprise crawling out its mouth…

Crawling with Classic Space nostalgia

Are you shopping for a rover that can handle rough terrain? (Aren’t we all?) Then Blake Foster has all the answers you seek with this LEGO All-Terrain Classic Space Tank or AT-CST. It makes excellent use of this bubble windscreen as well as this Bionicle shell. If that is giving you just a touch of deja vu, that is because Blake recently used the same parts with this Grumpy Gnat. Blake seems to specialize in spacecraft that tickle the ol’ LEGO nostalgia bone. Check out our archives to see what I mean.

The other other Michelangelo

One of my biggest gripes with a certain variety of religious art is the portrayal of angels. I know you’ve seen it, too. Angels are cute: either chubby naked kids or else delicate and fairy-ish. How could a super-human cosmic entity be cute? Aren’t there any sculptures or paintings of muscle-bound ones that could be played by Chris Hemsworth in a movie? Sure, I know, angels don’t have bodies, and thus no muscles, but still. When one of them is called Michael the Archangel, a warrior of God who fights Satan and casts that fallen angel into Hell, one would expect more than a mild mannered, almost dainty face and spindly limbs in any portrayal, at very least. Enter Tino Poutiainen.

His LEGO version of the archangel might be made of small plastic elements, but there’s some serious power in that torso. And the arms avoid being spindly, too, due to those tires. And that hair! Everyone knows you fight better with serious flow (and play hockey better, too). Coolest of all, though, is that circle of wings that also holds up the halo. Such an elegant touch! The arrows in the shield make good use of the feather element, though who launched them is a mystery; everyone else seems to be cowering away from this mighty protector.

Love LEGO angels? Then check out some more at this link to see ones we’ve featured before!