BioniLUG

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!

Several BioniLUG members are celebrating the holidays with some unique MOCs to mark the season. Check them out!

Overview: Build either a Mecha or a Kaiju and send it on the BZP Convention Circuit to participate! MOCs will be put on display fighting 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 Mecha/Kaiju: Mecha are giant piloted robots popularized in anime (like Gundam) and movies (like Pacific Rim). Kaiju are giant monsters popularized in movies (like Godzilla and Pacific Rim) and television (like Kamen Rider or Power Rangers). Build your coolest mechs and beasts so they can fight it out across North America!

Additional Requirements: All MOCs should be scaled to the Hero Factory Invasion From Below (HF IFB) series minifigs. Those minifigs’ dimensions are approx. 7x4x2 studs (tall x wide x deep) as shown in picture below:

MOCs are not required to have a figure, but it would be cool for some of them to be piloted by the HF figs! To keep MOCs in this scale and to scale with one another, please follow the below height rubric:

Other Considerations: As more of a general guideline, Mecha should be more angular and mechanical while Kaiju should be more organic in nature. Kaiju are giant monsters, after all, so they should have some sort of claws/fangs/spikes. Mecha should have more mechanical detailing and armoring as well as weaponry. They have to fight the Kaiju somehow, but how they can fight is up to you.

Scenery: Mecha and Kaiju are pretty awesome on their own, but they look even better when they’re laying waste to a city! In addition to building awesome robots and monsters, 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 and they’re there to be destroyed, 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
• The preferred color scheme is light-grey to allow the mecha and kaiju to stand out from the scenery, but you can use your discretion
• Other minifig-scaled objects like vehicles for the mecha and kaiju to stomp on

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!

This Saturday, June 15th, BioniLUG will be part of a LEGO fan display at GALACTIC CON in Howard County, Maryland. Word on the street is the a few AFOLs from other LUGs in the region will also appear. Tickets are available now and start at $10. The show opens at 11 AM and closes at 6 PM.