BioniLUG

It’s that time of year, the time all the Bionicle and Constraction builders on the Internet look forward to: the Bio-Cup! Several BioniLUG members are running the event, with a lot of the heavy lifting being done by Lord Oblivion while dviddy and Buttloaf are assisting with judging. And of course I’m sure many of our members will be entering their builds in the preliminary round, which is underway!

Best of luck to everyone, and I’m sure you’ll be seeing some of the amazing creations in our monthly MOC recaps and all over social media. Get building!

Last month BioniLUG members made a lot of cool MOCs, from dinos to plants to Bionicle GWP designs. Read on to see a few of the highlighted models.

Scuttlefish by Will Hafner

This mini squid in the old Aquasharks colors is adorable. The trans neon orange tentacles and blue drill head all work together well.

GWP Axonn by Kevin H.

A fun GWP design, this Axonn is ready to defend Voya Nui. His bulky look is well captured, and I especially like the axe design.

Renzari (2021 Self MOC) by Renzari Kenjo

A self MOC with a custom mask, this guy looks impressive. And check out the swoosh of his cape!

Western Ash Dragon by MySnailEatsPizza

This is a really cool dragon. The way the other colors stand out against the mostly black build is very striking, and the pose looks great.

Speedclaw Encounter by donutsftw

Depicting a scene from the game, the robot looks very intricate, while the tree has a simple but natural feel to it.

Midnight Raptor by BallomNomNom

This raptor looks quite fierce, and the body flows together organically with all the black elements.

Leaving by Dviddy

Built as a gift, the flowers on this tree look really great, and the curved brown branches look like the real deal.

GWP Kurahk by Lord Oblivion

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We see another GWP Kurahk design, with some nice spikes and a fun staff design.

We Are Fighting Dreamers by Cody Avery Builds

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This Naruto in miniland scale really captures his iconic sprint.

The Awoken Flower Blooms Once More by Sarahtonin

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This fancy build is highlighted with the colorful flowers on the shoulders and staff. Pretty.

It’s been a while since we last featured the MOCs made by BioniLUG members, so let’s change that with a look back on what they built in March 2023. From mechs to dragons to trees to chefs to more mechs, there are a lot of cool builds. Read on to check them out.

Lord of Many Eyes by Iggs

This guy is mighty creepy, and the torso is very “eye catching” as it were. He’s also got some interesting spiky armor, and that painted axe adds to the horror.

Isa by Max-Howell

This guy has some interesting texture, with the light gray and dark blue contrasting nicely. I also like the repeated use of the Tohunga heads.

Kurahk by Kraata Kink

This is a cool Rahkshi designed in the Toa GWP style. The design for the legs works really well for the Kurahk.

“LongArm” Exo Loader by donutsftw

This mech does a great job at utilizing teal elements and still having a streamline design. The detailed legs are especially nice.

Peppino Spagetti by Optimus Convoy

There’s a lot of character in this build. The micro food items are cute, but the chef is especially expressive.

Vastt, Toa of Gravity by MySnailEatsPizza

The purple and gold works really well here, and the intricate torso has a lot of great angles and greeble.

Tenebrae Blossomwood by Woomy World

We don’t often get a lot of landscape designs from Bionicle builds, but this tree has a sleek but organic look, and the lavender leafs off the black branches really stands out.

Paladin L. S. Kobra by BallomNomNom

This reptile looks ready for adventure. I like how the bulky armor fits around him, and the face turned out great.

Athaya by Aiden.Builds

The repeated texture looks really good on this dragon, and the Visorak fang as the horn helps keep the nice flow.

Tahu Toa of Fire by Calcifer

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We’ve seen a lot of Tahu models, but the color shift on this one is very impressive, and that’s before you take into consideration the cohesiveness of the limbs and torso.

Rondo the Necromancer by Sarahtonin

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This warrior looks quite tough, and showcases the speckled pieces nicely. Plus, that cape works.

Col-ti and Venco by Cement Addiction

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This bug has some fun mechanical details, built from the spare parts from some Creator sets. Meanwhile the mech manages its shape with a few interesting designs too, especially with the blades on the chest.

MF-FS01: Flight Sentinel by Lord Oblivion

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This mech looks to be really fast with a lot of nice angles, plus he has some striking colors. I also like the wheels and wires built into the torso.

K-R7 JUNO by Kitsua

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Here’s another mech that means business, which again makes good use of angles and colors. Also, it has impressive heels.

BioniLUG Members continue to churn out cool new models, from creepy robots to dancing robots, from helpful bots to hurtful bots, from cat models to Kitsune foxes, and more. Read on to check out some of the MOCs.

Transcendence by Will Hafner

This is a bizarre model, with the human figure having a giant robot head. The design isn’t super complex, but it makes good use of the large Mata pieces and the garage door elements. Plus, the lighting really sells the mood.

Broodmother by Alex_Mocs

This is a creepy crawly. The color balance with the white limbs and dark blue body / head is well done, and it has some great shapes. Plus, I like the swords in the legs.

Purifier by Kitsua

This mech may be tiny, but it has a lot of crazy articulation for the scale, and really portrays a lot of character with its impressive pose. Built for Droneuary.

The Dance Dance Revolution by Iggs

The game is easily identifiable, but the character is quite snazzy and has a lot of great parts usages, from the Slizer heads in the torso and feet to the Kanoka in the head. On top of all that, he’s striking quite the pose while dancing.

Xazabi Hunter Power Suit by Duncan Lindbo

I always enjoy a good purple Bionicle MOC, and this guy has some interesting designs going, especially with the clever base and pink orbs. The black and purple balance on the suit is cool, and the special lighting (as seen on the weapon) also helps.

Antique Orator by Lord Oblivion

This is another creepy design. The bright red whips as wiring really stands out over the other muted colors, although it did confuse me on the scale until I started recognizing the other pieces. Some good use of the old gold pieces though.

DeNN1S by Chris Kanak

He looks like a bot who just wants to help out. The yellow head has some fun curves on it, and the many limbs work for its robotic look.

MX-23 Robbery Fly by The Underscored Double

A fun little spaceship with some sleek shaping, especially for its small size. And hey, it counts as Bionicle because it has Whenua’s drill on the front. (Although I’m not entirely sure of the purpose of a drill on the front of a fast moving aircraft; if it hits something to use the drill on, wouldn’t that mean trouble for its flight?)

Kati by Sarahtonin

This is a neat simple commission model. The color balance is quite good, and I like how the cat ears were made.

White the Kitsune by Margits_Mocs

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This fox’s body is a little bit blocky, but the head looks great, and the colors are fantastic. The white clouds on the mane give her some great texture.

Sadra by Calcifer

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I’m not exactly sure if the purple mask goes with the white, orange, and black figure, but this Toa’s got some cool unconventional designs. There’s a lot to light, from the thighs to the spiky hands, but I am particularly impressed by the torso pistons.

Earlier this month, MOC channels became flooded by a rush of new MOCs featuring all the Bionicle sets from 2007 as part of the Prisoners of the Pit Collaboration. A lot of talented Bionicle builders recreated the Barraki, Toa Mahri, and other Matoran and Titans from the era, with some of the builds staying true to the original set and some of them taking the subject into a very different direction. Plenty of these Builders are also BioniLUG members, so read on to check out their contributions to the collab!

Kalmah by Aiden.Builds

Kalmah skipped over squid-like and went straight to eldritch horror. The tentacles on him are quite impressive, as is the hexagon shaped face / mouth. The use of the original mask on the legs is great, especially for that color transition.

Pridak by Ryan Z

Pridak never quite looked like a shark to me originally, but the head on this MOC is much more accurate. The rest of the model is perhaps less shark like, but it has some good flow to it. The best part; the use of the Bohrok shield to represent ‘red paint’ dripping down the side of his arm. That is ridiculously good parts usage there!

Hahli by Dviddy

Hahli was my personal favorite set from 2007, even with the fragile lime pieces. This MOC boosts her up even further, with some great shaping and nice mix of lime and dark blue. Her wings are the true highlight here. Of course, the coral base is also well done.

Kongu by BallomNomNom

I always thought Kongu ended up as kind of a joke set, but this Toa Mahri is beefed out and well armed with blasters everywhere. The brighter lime serves as a nice jump suit, and he’s really to blow his way out of any situation.

Matoro by Buttloaf_Builds

Matoro gets his Ignika here, and although he still has his hunch, he’s much improved over the original set, having a fancy new blaster and even a prototype piece as his claw. The sand blue elements are a nice highlight.

Gadunka by Cody Avery

Gadunka was a weird set that was basically a head with limbs. This MOC makes him into more of a angler fish with limbs, and it works. I like the very technical look of the arms and legs, making him appear to be more of an upgrade than a mutation. But the fish parts in the various glow in the dark blue pieces still look good, and the inclusion of the angler light is the best.

Maxilos and Spinax by Gamma-Raay

This Maxilos looks a bit more filled out than the original set, and the stark red and gunmetal colors work together. He’s still intimidating, but not nearly as much as Spinax, who has some great organic shaping to him and makes good use of the zip line pieces along his back. Great pose too. These two are not ones you want to encounter underwater.

Squid Ammo by Kevin H

I’m sure a lot of us barely count the squid ammo as a legit set, but this detailed specimen really pulls through with the various details and hungry face. This is one squid you wouldn’t want to see shot towards you.

BioniLUG members have started the year out strong with some fancy Bionicle MOCs. (Although some seem to be late holiday rush builds.) Read on to see some of the creations from out talented members.

Hy-Bogg by The Underscored Double

This model shows off some of the fancy shapes you can make using Gen 1 parts, and has a lot of good part usages. The rounded head is well done, and the Visorak shells as shoulder armor is inspired.

Drill Squid by Will Hafner

This harkens back to the Aquasharks theme with the color scheme. The pieces all come together to make a smooth look for this squid, and the Maxironi for the arms looks great.

The Golden by BallomNomNom

The Gold Being was a late addition to the Bionicle Gen 1 story, and we never really got to see a set of it. This guy uses a LOT of gold to fill out his form, with nice ridges along the torso that work nicely.

MK3 Simonds Class Enforcer Droid by Gamma-Raay

There are a lot of cool shapes in this model, from the triangular head to the pistons in the legs and torso to the cool use of the Star Wars blaster piece as the forearms. And then, of course, there’s some really dramatic lighting that really sets the scene for this dangerous droid.

Baraagi Nui by Kevin H.

This guy has a lot of great repeated textures to him, from the ribbed muscles on the leg to the ridges and spikes on the head to the tires on the tail. This all comes together in an intimidating critter.

R3DH34D by Duncan Lindbo

This is another guy who uses some old school parts, and yet still has a fancy robotic aesthetic that we don’t usually see. The blue slope as the “chin” of the torso is pretty nice, and the Hero symbols on the legs offer neat greeble.

Throne Room by Margits_Mocs

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Built for Iron Forge, there is a lot of fancy designs in here, from the rug mosaic on the floor to the fancy leaf mosaic on the wall to the sunny backdrop seen in the window. And then there are more subtle designs like the brick wall and fancy chair.

Mosaic by SetYouUpBricks

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I like a good mosaic, and this Survey Corps insignia is super clean.

Infantile Golem by KatBuilds

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This fancy critter was made to feature the Chima Speedor Shell on the head, but the pose with the armored arms and lanky legs is what really makes him cool.

Overview: Who isn’t a sucker for high fantasy? Elegant elves trained over centuries in fine bows and nimble blades. Dwarven craftsmen and warriors clad in heavy armor and heavier weaponry. Dragons, orcs, undead, the whole shebang. Maybe throw in a monster or two; Beholder, Gelatinous cube, Displacer Beast.

Build something in the high fantasy genre and bring it to a convention or send it on the BZP Convention Circuit to participate! MOCs will be put on display at multiple conventions and perks will be given to those who participate in the collab, including  free sets and raffle entries! (Note: in order to receive the perks, you will have to ensure you sign up for the circuit.)

What is a High Fantasy: High fantasy is set in an alternative, fictional (“secondary”) world, rather than the “real” or “primary” world. This secondary world is usually internally consistent, but its rules differ from those of the primary world. By contrast, low fantasy is characterized by being set on Earth, the primary or real world, or a rational and familiar fictional world with the inclusion of magical elements. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_fantasy)

Some notable examples include:

• Terry Brooks’ Shannara
• Terry Goodkind’s The Sword of Truth
• Robert Jordan’s and Brandon Sanderson’s The Wheel of Time
• Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea
• C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia
• George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones)
• Terry Pratchett’s Discworld
• R. A. Salvatore’s Forgotten Realms and The DemonWars Saga
• J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings

Additional Requirements: All MOCs should be scaled to the Toa Metru (7 to 8”) – humans and elves should be about that size, dwarves and halflings should be a bit shorter, and monsters and enemies bigger or smaller as appropriate.

Other Considerations: This is high fantasy, and while there can be some overlap with other genres such as Gothic fiction, dark fantasy, and steampunk, try to stick with the classic high fantasy heroes and villains.

You can certainly build a MOC based on your favorite high fantasy media, like Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings, or you can make it more generic. It doesn’t matter as long as it’s high fantasy!

Scenery: Heroes and monsters are pretty awesome on their own, but they look even better when they have a fantasy world to live in! We’re looking for people to make buildings and other scenery to spread around the display to give it some scale. The good thing is, since they’re not the main focal point, they don’t have to be super-detailed or even look finished. Some things we’d like to see:

• Buildings scaled roughly to 10 bricks per floor – they don’t need to have windows or even four sides, but they should be free-standing. Think castles, towers, thatched-roof inns, that sort of thing.
• Other objects like trees, siege machines, barricades, and the like are more than welcome too!

Also, these MOCs will need to be shipped and displayed so, while not required, please take into consideration stability and durability when making your MOCs. It makes it easier on everyone involved!

2022 was a pretty good year for MOCs, and BioniLUG members closed it out by posting a lot of good creations as the year ended, from contest entries to Secret Santa gift MOCs. Below are a small selection of their talent, and we look forward to seeing what everybody makes for 2023.

Cephalo-phage by The Underscored Double

Based on an Alpha Team: Mission Deep set, this squid makes good use of modern parts. The various blades and tentacles work exceptionally well here, but my favorite part is the mask hidden inside the upper mantle. The underwater speeder has a sleek design too, but will it be enough to get the Agent to safety?

Swarm Valkyrie: Rotor-Fly by MucusDrizzle

The fifth entry in a Mech Telephone game, an interesting concept where new MOCs are based on previous entries. This one features a insectoid copter with some nice color blocking and a tight build for its size.

Swarm Valkyrie: Pseudoweapon Kusanagi by Kitsua

The final entry of the telephone game, I like how the tendrils of the character feed directly into the massive weapon. The character has some very interesting parts usages that flow quite well, especially with those feet. And the gun’s size and details are impressive too.

Antique Princess by Lord Oblivion

The color and parts usage here are inspired, and they all come together to form a very creepy face. Even the mix of the old and new grays on the legs help sell this as an aged antique. This was part of a Thanksgiving collab.

Ascension by BallomNomNom

A Secret Santa build for Marko, this build features an interesting skeleton design with lots of gold rings mixed in. The knee design is particularly interesting, and the parts usage on the upper cape is great.

Red by Dviddy

Another Secret Santa built for Red. This one has some great shaping to it that is a bit difficult to get with CCBS; I like how the skeleton torso fits in with the rest of it, and the contrasting black arm stands out. Not a bad pose.

Sari V3: Other Worldly Vagabond by Princess Mittens

The shaping on this MOC is quite good, especially the knees and feet. The colorful cape and mask, however, are what really tie this together, as they contrast nicely against the rest of the black body.

2022 Self MOC, Spiderman style by Renzari Kenjo

The style used here is pretty good, maintaining color consistency while keeping the articulation the same. I like the incorporation of the jacket, and the detailed hairstyle is a nice touch.

Recently we gave our members the prompt to, “build something with scales,” and here’s what they came up with!

Uh-Oh! by Margit

Waterdillo by Xccj

Recently we gave our members the prompt to, “build something you would not expect to find underwater, but with an underwater theme,” and here’s what they came up with!