For the first time, Bionicle was represented at a BrickFest convention. Last February at BrickFest PDX 2004 three BZPower members walked away with "Best of" MOC awards. Several BZP members also were able to stop by, one from as far away as the UK. We present the winners of the MOC displays.

The convention, geared mostly toward adult attendees, was spread over three days in mid-February in the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, OR, USA. The expo room, which was open to the public for part of the last day and drew more than a thousand visitors, was crammed with fabulous LEGO creations, all gathered in different themes. Space, Trains, Castle, Pirate, Town, Mecha, Robotics, Sculpture, and other interests have long been part of adult conventions, but this was the first time Bionicle was officially included, to my knowledge. A full 5x8 foot table was set aside, but part was taken up by overflow from the Train display. Fortunately, the Bionicle display only took half the table.

An eye-catching sign of Hapori Tohu gazed at passers-by from the table, which was at the entrance of the expo room.

A little background is probably in order. I belong to a LEGO train club (the Pacific Northwest LEGO Train Club, one of the oldest in the US), which sponsored this year's convention. As a web guy, I was tapped to create the overall web site for the event, http://pdx.brickfest.com. I also volunteered to coordinate the Bionicle display for the expo, and asked BZPower readers if they'd like to send in their creations. Some took me up on the offer, and I gladly took the packages, arranged the displays as best I could, and explained the theme to people who were curious - and there were many who had questions.

The display included the new Toa Metru, a few Metruan, and several pieces of memorabilia I've collected over the last few years. These included framed original comic artwork and a huge Kanohi Kaukau (back), both won from a contest in 2001. A press pack and Metru Nui poster (left) also helped explain the new storyline and products to visitors. The Mata Nui Express also took up just a little room, but it wasn't very effective - the train guys kind of liked it.

At the front, however, are the important part - the MOCs from BZP readers. Above is a picture of the awards given out. Four BZPower members sent or brought their custom creations for display. Three won awards, which I announced to the attendees during the Saturday awards ceremony. Since they were all absentee displays, I packed up the awards and sent them back with the MOCs to the owners after the convention. Below, I'm pleased to present the awards and their MOCs.

Third place: Ken's "Toamni"

Second place: Black Materia's 4-legged creation

First place: Shannara's "Cajun"

The next BrickFest event will be held in August in Washington, DC. If you'd like your MOC displayed, start planning it now!

Photos by Todd Thuma

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