Best of BrickNerd: Weekend Highlight — Article originally published December 1, 2021.

Today I have the great pleasure of shining the spotlight on one of the—at least in my humble opinion—best Bionicle builders out there, Patrick Biggs. I have to admit that when I first got back into LEGO, I had no idea what Bionicle was or that it was even made by the LEGO company. I am a bit embarrassed about that now, but back then (around six years ago) I was just coming out of my dark age and as Bionicle first came out around 2000-2001, I initially missed the first wave by about half a decade. And the (short-lived) re-launch ended just before I got back into LEGO.

Fortunately, the internet is a marvellous thing and I quickly started noticing some very cool MOCs showing up in my Flickr feed every now and then. I also had a fellow LUG-member (o0ger) that was always using cool pieces that I couldn’t really identify in his MOCs, and it turned out quite a few of them were Bionicle!

Fast forward to about three years ago and I was fortunate enough to meet one of the builders that almost exclusively builds Bionicle MOCs, the aforementioned Patrick Biggs. I was at the LEGO House Masterpiece Gallery and he was one of the people selected to display his work there. We quite quickly got to talking and it turned out he wasn’t just a very talented builder, he was also one of the nicest people I had met in the AFOL community. I have to admit I had been following him on Flickr for a while at that point and to be able to check out his work up close was a real treat. The builds seemed more like pieces of art than anything else, and he has continued to impress with me his work ever since.

But enough of the fan-boy-rant, let’s get to know him a bit more!

Andreas: Welcome buddy! Feel free to tell us a bit about yourself.

Patrick: Hi! My name is Patrick Biggs, I am 34, I work for a bank, and I live in Portland, Oregon. I have been building with LEGO for my entire life. I had DUPLO as a young kid and have never had a “dark age”.

Andreas: That whole “no-dark-age“seems to be more and more common these days. So what got you into the hobby as you grew up?

Patrick: I played with LEGO bricks as a kid, but what got me into “the hobby” in a serious way was the launch of BIONICLE in 2001. I was hooked the moment I saw the cardboard display with Kopaka and his sword and shield. I looked them up online and found several fansites that pulled me in. The mix of story and online engagement led me to create an account on BZCommunity.com (now BZPower.com) in January 2002, and I have seriously engaged in the online hobby community ever since.

Andreas: Ok, the question that must be on everyone’s mind. What’s the deal with Bionicle? I mean, do you not like studs?

Patrick: For me, at least, BIONICLE building feels more like concept art for character creation than anything else. I get to breathe life into a character or a creature, explore fun design motifs, take a character that was made for the original BIONICLE story and reinterpret it through the lens of the story told, with no concerns or regards for selling it as a set. The original BIONCLE line was a multimedia storytelling experience, and that thirst to tell a story with our builds is a big part of the appeal for many of us. For me as well, it is the line that kept me from ever experiencing a “dark age,” and it is safe to say that it has changed the entire trajectory of my life. But you’ll still find plenty of little system tiles and slopes and the like in my builds! LEGO is LEGO as far as I’m concerned!

Andreas: That’s great insight, thank you. Ok, we first met at the LEGO House. What’s your favourite memory from that wonderful place?

Patrick: I have now been to the LEGO House twice, once for the weekend in 2018 when we installed in the Masterpiece Gallery, and just recently in October 2021. The day in 2018 we spent exploring the LEGO House experience zones together with Mel, and the rooftop zones with Warren and Teresa added in is still one of the best memories of my entire life. Seeing our MOCs behind the glass in the gallery will forever be one of my happiest moments as well. But October 2021 was my honeymoon, and being able to go through it with my wife for the first time was everything to me.

Andreas: Yeah I can see that a honeymoon with your wife is hard to beat, that’s amazing. Anything you want to share about displaying in the Masterpiece Gallery?

Patrick: The LEGO House AFOL weekend in 2018 was the most international LEGO fan event I’ve ever been to. I am so glad that I got to take part in such an experience with so many folks from all over the world. And the group of people we displayed with in the gallery that year are some of the greatest people I’ve ever met. I’m forever grateful for the opportunity. It was both life-changing and life-affirming.

Andreas: I couldn’t agree more. Now, why do you build? Is there anything specific that drives you (aside from the massive financial benefits that we all enjoy)?

Patrick: There are a lot of different things that might drive me to a build! Sometimes it is the desire for pure creative expression, sometimes it is an image I can’t get out of my head that I need to create, sometimes it is a contest with an intriguing theme, sometimes it is to relax, and even sometimes it is the pure selfish desire to win a contest and continue to prove my skills to myself and others.

Andreas: Anything that gets you building is a good thing, I always think, haha! Do you feel that you have a certain style?

Patrick: The thing that brought me into BIONICLE as a teen was always the story and characters. I don’t build with a fan fiction or a story in mind when I build, but that drive to express a character in a build is something deep-seated that I think comes across in my builds. Parts usage, shaping, parts availability have all changed dramatically since I started my Brickshelf account in 2002, but I think it is possible to pull one of my MOCs from 2002 and put it next to one I’ve done in 2021 and still see the spirit of that character-design in place. I like to believe that I have a very recognizable use of color, of clean lines and surfaces, a fondness for fantasy creatures, and a love of cool coats. I am also a big believer in keeping things simple, I will almost always opt to use one piece vs a more complicated 27 part connection to achieve a similar goal.

Andreas: I do always enjoy the “clean“ look of your builds and some of those coats look damn comfortable. Have you expressed your creativity using other mediums (painting, drawing, interpretive dancing, etc)?

Patrick: As a kid I used to draw and paint, but those aren’t really skills I pursued once I got older. I do dabble in photography as a hobby and sometimes on a freelance basis, but that’s honestly the extent of my more artistic pursuits.

Andreas: You mentioned a bit about it earlier but where do you find inspiration?

Patrick: I find a lot of inspiration in nature, fantasy, art, and fashion. Films such as Princess Mononoke (with all the fun spirit creatures), shows such as Digimon, Power Rangers, all of those stuck in my head as a kid and I think their design influences have absolutely impacted my builds. I would even credit the music video for Muse’s “Knights of Cydonia,” with it’s fusion of classic sci-fi and spaghetti western, as a massive influence. Fantasy creatures (especially dragons) have always been a huge inspiration to me, and that sort of “swords and sorcery” genre is also a huge influence on my builds. I would rather build a cool warrior guy with a sword over something more modern and militaristic. And I love looking at video game fashion concept art, sci-fi outfits, modern streetwear, and seeing how I can work that into a cool outfit for a character I build.

Andreas: That’s very interesting and I can see the influences—thank you for sharing. Ok, I’m curious, what was the first LEGO set you remember?

Patrick: The first set I remember being gifted was set 6054 Forestmen’s Hideout (I had to google that, sorry fellow AFOLs!). I remember being gifted the set while visiting extended family on a long road trip across the US, and never having time to actually build it, so I don’t believe I ever actually finished it, and instead, it became the beginnings of my system parts collection.

Andreas: You’ve got to start the collection somewhere, haha! Are there any builders out there that inspire you?

Patrick: There are so many builders who inspire me! First and foremost, my greatest influence has to be Bryce McGlone. His work with BIONICLE parts in the early days of the line under the pseudonym “Cajun” was massively influential, and he pioneered so many of the techniques we take for granted today (such as the flex tube and system clips connections!) In 2002 he saw my builds online, saw some sort of talent in my blurry, tiny webcam MOC photos, and sent me an old digital camera so I could post real MOC photos. He’s been an older brother and incredible supporter ever since.

Outside of Bryce, I adore the scenery and artistry of Grant Davis, the wild techniques and color of Nick Vas/Brickthing/Prince Galidor (a designer at LEGO), the masterful creativity and expressions of Djokson the incredible characters and life of Jayfa, the brilliant builds of Secret Walrus, the sci-fi expertise of Si-Mocs, the incredible character work of Eero Okkonen, the brilliant cultural builds of Andreas Lenander, and of course my BFFs for life Mike Nieves and Mel Finelli. There are so many diverse builders of such great talent that I am always admiring and fawning over that I really can’t name them all. But these are the ones I scour when looking for inspiration or ideas or techniques to outright steal.

And of course, special recognition for the way my wife Maddison (maddison_2d) has been supportive through all the ups and downs of our lives within the community. Her LEGO sculptures and work are about as different from mine as possible, and seeing it up close, how she does it, and what she creates has been a godsend. Plus having the immediate feedback in person from someone in the hobby and with her talent has been so incredibly helpful.

Andreas: That’s awesome to hear about the support you recieved from Bryce! One of the best parts of the LEGO community is definately the help people are willing to lend new builders that are just starting out. And amazing that you have a significant other that also shares the hobby, though I might expect that increases the pressure from time to time. Have you ever felt any pressure when building, given that you are known as a talented builder (I mean let’s face it, you’re being featured on BrickNerd!)?

Patrick: The BIONICLE community feels a lot more competitive than the various system ones, at least from the outside. I’ve been very competitive in that space for nearly two decades, and it can be exhausting! With the death of the original BIONICLE line, things calmed down a lot, and in the years since the second BIONICLE line died, I’ve definitely felt a lot more comfortable and confident in my role in the community. Like a lot of folks, I have a deep internal tug-of-war with imposter syndrome, so sometimes it can be hard to believe I’ve been at things this long, and have had the impact I’ve had.

But I think these days the biggest pressure I feel is trying to (still) find the level of respect in the greater AFOL community that it still feels like our builds often miss. Looking through convention photos you will often find AFOLs taking detailed photos of every theme in attendance… except for BIONICLE. You will still see legacy conventions with massive followings put the BIONICLE table in the back corner in the dark, with no chairs, while a vendor has table space in the display area with the other themes. To this day, the greater AFOL community seems mystified by the presence of BIONICLE at all (which I will admit is a massive step-up from outright hostility we saw in the first several years of the original line), and it can be deeply demotivating to see my friends’ MOCs not get noticed simply because they aren’t made with a majority of classical bricks.

Andreas: That’s a very interesting subject and something that I’m sure most system-builders have never really experienced. Hopefully that continues to change for the better as more and more builders discover all the awesome things one can create using Bionicle—and possibly a topic for BrickNerd to dive into in a future article. Moving on to something a bit lighter, what is your favourite piece and why?

Patrick: The modified Technic ball socket with the rubber friction additions and the down-facing axle-connection is the single most important part of my builds. I wish it wasn’t so limited in production and as expensive on the aftermarket!

Andreas: Do you prefer the online part of the hobby or attending conventions in person?

Patrick: I’ve been deeply embedded in the online part of the hobby for nearly two decades. And I’ve been attending conventions yearly since 2008. I don’t think I can say I prefer one over the other—they bring different things to the table. I love being able to see my friends’ builds in person when we meet up, I love trading beers with Simon, seeing friends I haven’t seen in years, playing games, and just enjoying life together in person. But cons can also be emotionally and physically exhausting! Being part of a close-knit community across several forums and Discord groups helps drive and give life to my hobby. Being able to keep in touch no matter the distance, downtimes between builds, etc, has been a godsend. The two aspects of the community are just different sides of the same coin for me.

Andreas: That’s very true, the two usually complement each other. So where do you rank on the purist scale?

Patrick: About as purist as it gets! I don’t cut or modify parts as an adult, I don’t use third-party parts, I don’t use painted parts, not even my own stickers or decals. I’m not opposed (anymore) to others doing so or enjoying their builds when they do, but for me, remaining in the system and making use of the limitations inherent in it is part of the fun. And to be very honest, there are only a handful of builders who use part modification or third-party pieces that feel like they build a MOC I enjoy enough to feel like they merited that. That said, I have several fanmade resin cast masks I might feel compelled to use, so take it all with a grain of salt.

Andreas: You mentioned how important the LEGO community is to you. Are you a member of a LUG (LEGO Users Group)? If so, which one?

Patrick: I am a member of (and former ambassador for) BIONILUG, I have been a part of PORTLUG in the past, and I am in EPLUG, a newer LUG focused solely on BIONICLE-style MOCs.

Andreas: Seeing as your partner shares your interest this might be a weird question but I’ll still ask you. Are you open with your LEGO interest in your private life? Have you ever had any negative experiences in regards to that?

Patrick: Luckily no negative experiences! I’m open about my interest. Everyone I know “in real life” also knows that I am into LEGO. I met my wife at a LEGO convention in 2010, so it is a foundational part of our lives.

Andreas: That’s really cool. So do you have anything specific that you want to ”accomplish” as far as LEGO is concerned?

Patrick: I just want to continue to make the things that I like to make, and continue to make and maintain the amazing relationships I’ve been blessed to have through the hobby.

Andreas: That seems like a very good goal. Ok, time for the quickfire round! How many PaB-cups do you own?

Patrick: Too many! And we don’t even do PaB that often! I do most of my bulk buying on BrickLink.

Andreas: Ok, you have the power to bring back one theme, which is it, and why is it not Galidor?

Patrick: I’d bring Galidor back before I bring back monorail! ;) The obvious answer, though, is BIONICLE.

Andreas: Hahaha! Yeah, I could have guessed that. Ok, so where can we find you on social media?

Patrick: You can find me either on Instagram or Flickr.

Andreas: Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us here at BrickNerd, I really appreciate it. And congrats on getting married!

Patrick: Thank you!

Thanks again for reading, I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did and make sure you check out some more of Patrick’s work as it’s a real treat for the eyes!

Do you build with Bionicle? And should it be placed front and enter at LEGO conventions? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

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