Building Challenge – Mata Foot

To kick this year’s build challenges off, members chose the foot from the original Toa Mata sets as a seed part to use in novel or unexpected ways. Check out the links below to see what they came up with.

Created by Bionic_
Blue Rev
Blue Rev by dee
CARGO ELEVATOR #5
CARGO ELEVATOR #5 by donutsftw
Two Jagas Peaceful
Two Jagas Peaceful by Obsessionist

Leshen by cpt_thundra

Christmas Wreath by David Skyroller

“Om Shanti Shanti Shanti.” by Margit

Buff Toa Onua by xccj

Building Challenge – Feed Me Seymour!

BioniLUG recently ran a building challenge to get people hyped for our 2024 Horror Garden collab, and here’s what they came up with!

Floral Fury
Floral Fury by Care Creations
Scarlet Snapper
Scarlet Snapper by Woomy World
The Lure Lotus by Bionic_
Graspberry
Graspberry by Obsessionist
The Green Gobbler by maxhowell
Cyatheales Carnivorous by Lord Oblivion
Wailing Flower
Wailing Flowers by Paleo

Carnivorous Transi Flora by Sarahtonin

Six-Faced Two-Sided Flower by NicePartsUsage

BioniLUG Collab 2024: The Horror Garden

Overview

Are you a botany buff? Does the Venus flytrap fascinate you? Do you really like Frank Oz’s Little Shop of Horrors? Whatever your answer is, our 2024 theme is the theme for you!

Build something to plant in the Horror Garden 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.)

Theme

The Horror Garden is pretty self-explanatory: it’s a garden full of scary plants! Flowers with teeth, trees with claws, the possibilities are endless!

Typically, plants consist of roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits. Use any plant-like features and horror components fuel your creative process and build something terrifyingly beautiful. Useful examples include:

Our garden will also need to be populated with structures and tourists! Archways, fences, benches, and pathways will all help the garden appear more robust. Tourists (and victims) should remain on the smaller side, to help give the plants a sense of threatening scale.

Sizing

  • Tourists should be no larger than a Voya-Nui Matoran.
  • Plant builds should be (at minimum) of comparable mass/density as 10281 Bonsai Tree.
  • Fencing should be capable of surrounding the area of a 32×32-stud baseplate.
  • Garden furniture and structures should be capable of accommodating a Voya-Nui Matoran.

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!

BioniLUG May 2023 MOCs

The month of May saw a few new additions of MOCs from BioniLUG members that are worth featuring. Although most builders were pushing their talents to Bio-Cup, read on to check out some of the other impressive creations.

Blyrakas by Aiden.Builds

Blyrakas

This serpent dragon is truly amazing. The repetition of the flippers, leaf elements, and flags give it excellent shaping and texture, and the colors really stand out. Of course, getting that organically curved pose at this size is also impressive on its own. Quite the masterpiece.

Viral Deception by Will Hafner

Viral Deception

This is a fun take on viruses. (Well, maybe not fun for whoever is hosting them.) The use of the kraata container is neat, and it looks like an Amoeba MOC was squished inside of it.

Slizer Disc Display by Xccj

Slizer Disc Display

Slizer discs may not have had the same collectibility as Bionicle Kanohi, but that doesn’t mean they don’t look grouped together, with the addition of a mosaic logo for the theme.

The Yóuxía by Ta-Metru Defender

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This character, built for the Fantasy Collaboration, is suitably armored up with some nice color blocking and a rustic base.

Gun Saint by Cement Addiction

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This robot is well armed, and it’s fun to take in all the gun details squeezed in here. The juxtaposition of it on the crosses is a nice feature.

ZK-UNIT: AQUAMARINE by Lord Oblivion

This robot looks quite tough, and has a very strong color scheme. There are a pot of nice parts used, from the diamond pieces on the shield to the Nuva masks on the shoulders.

BioniLUG Bio-Cup 2023 Preliminary MOCs

Bio-Cup always has a lot of amazing MOCs built towards it, and BioniLUG members contribute quite a few of them. A lot of them built for the Preliminary Round, which has the theme of “Villain” going for it. There are a lot of interesting takes on the theme, creative building designs, and overall cool creations. Our LUG really had a great output, and many have processed to the next round.

The One Percent by Mucus Drizzle

The One Percent

This is a clever way of villainizing the rich. The suit is sleek but simple, and I like the imagery of the houses in the palm of his hand, as he’s obviously controlling the real estate market. The money and smokestacks also sell the theme.

Neonatal Harvester by Cody Avery

Neonatal Harvester

Machines entrapping people like this is not uncommon in BioCup, but this MOC does a really good job of selling the deed, with the mechanical body of the machine paired with the organic tentacles. The green vats also stand out; those babies never stood a chance.

Omnidroid by Aiden Builds

Omnidroid

Recreating this classic Incredibles enemy must’ve been quite the challenge, as it was mostly circular with tube arms. But the shapes managed to be pulled off here and it’s instantly recognizable. Impressive.

Oni Lloyd by Woomy World

Oni Lloyd

We don’t often see Ninjago themed entries, so this is a treat. The Oni himself has some very striking design choices, from the chest to the hair. But the fabulous designs of the golden weapons are my favorite parts.

Dr. Gila by MySnailEatsPizza

Dr. Gila

This guy has some clever design choices. I thought at first that the kraata container containing the brain would be the best feature, and then I realized his torso is also transparent and showing his innards. Very impressive.

Prince of the Void by Calcifer_project

Prince of the Void

This guy has a lot of cool elements from his head to his chest and thighs, but dang if those wings don’t impress the most. Great use of so many of them, it looks very solid!

MadVillainy by Kat’s Koncepts

MADVILLAINY

These characters are quite simple, mostly shaped by the large capes. But the unique helmet designs and overall structure of the scene around the caldron really pulls the whole thing together. I wonder what they’re brewing?

Meng Yan by Ryan Z

Meng  Yan

A very creative spirit. I especially like the tile texturing on the wings and the big red ears.

Shadow Sorceress by Sarahtonin

Shadow Sorceress

The wisps on the top of the cape are nice, as are the chain belt. The krana here works well as the sorceress’ face, complete with a fancy hat.

Guitar Hero by Iggs

Guitar "Hero"

He has a lot of cool designs here, from the shoes to the mow hawk and Ruru shoulder pads. But I like the flame wing pieces on the guitar the most.

Taba the Outlaw by Renzari Kenjo

Taba the Outlaw

This bug isn’t going to let you swat him. I like the mix of the fly parts with cowboy aesthetics. And hey, the Humungousaur had returns, although with some additions this time.

Elite Serrator by Mitch Henry

Elite Serrator

There are a lot of interesting pieces used here, from the Galidor armor to the various tentacles and gear elements. And apparently the blade function works, which is impressive.

The Blood Moon Rises by Will Hafner

The Blood Moon Rises

Krika blades are always nice, and a full circle of them is quite striking. The tentacles and blades on the silver spectre also work.

Chain-Gun Charlie by Kevin H.

Chain-Gun Charlie

This guy seems more like a funny villain of the week, but the gun in his torso is still a fun take. Plus good use of the Bohrok faceplates on the thighs.

Deathmonger the Defiler by Matt Goldberg

Deathmonger the Defiler

This guy looks proud of his latest loot. The armor includes some interesting bits, like the dragon and wolf skulls on the arms and torso. I also find the skulls on the scythe handle funny.

Bio-Cup 2023 is Here!

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!

BioniLUG April 2023 MOCs

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

Scuttlefish

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.

GWP Axonn

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

Renzari (2021 Self MOC)

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

Western Ash Dragon by MySnailEatsPizza

Western Ash Dragon

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

Speedclaw encounter

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

Midnight Raptor

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

Leaving by Dviddy

Leaving

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

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

We Are Fighting Dreamers by Cody Avery Builds

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.

BioniLUG March 2023 MOCs

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

Lord of Many Eyes

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

Isa

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

Kurahk

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

"Longarm" Exo-Loader

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

Peppino Spagetti

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

Vastt, Toa of Gravity

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

Tenebrae Blossomwood

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

Paladin L. S. Kobra

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

Athaya

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

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 February 2023 MOCs

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

Transcendence

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

Broodmother

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

Purifier

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 Dance Dance Revolution

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

Xazabi hunter power suit

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

Antique Orator

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

D3NN1S

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

MX-23 Robber Fly

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

Kati

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

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

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.

Prisoners of the Pit Collab

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

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

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 MAHRI: TOA OF WATER

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

Kongu

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

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, Modified Angler

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

Maxilos and Spinax

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

Squid Ammo

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.