The second round of Bio-Cup 2020 is now over, and although the number of entries has diminished, the quality remains very high. I'm counting about 24 entries for this round, which focused on Regional Mythology and Folklore. Yet again, the Reporters of BZPower selected a handful of the MOCs to highlight, so read on to see some cool builds and let us know which your favorites are!

"The Simurgh" by Jayfa

Jayfa starts the batch by creating a Simurgh, a benevolent bird of Iranian mythology. The use of colors are fantastic, especially with the reuse of the Chima wing pieces to give the Simurgh her fancy wings. The texture extends to the fur / feathers on the body, with very good shaping utilized. On top of that, the canine head is extremely detailed with a lot of personality. This is quite the impressive beast.

"The Anito" by [VB]

[VB]'s entry is an ancestor spirits from Philippine mythology, an Anito. The Anito itself is a very flowing design of smooth black shapes, making it almost look like it's made of wisps of smoke and giving it a very ethereal feel. Equally impressive is the landscape, from flowing green hills and tall grasses to the two highly detailed statues. This makes for a very interesting scene.

"Red Dragon" by Mitch Phillips

Mitch Phillips decided to go for a Chinese Red Dragon build. This beast has some fantastic flow to it as it curls around in the air. The highlight is the use of red flippers to replicate the dragon's scales, and they're used to amazing effect here. The orange underbelly, blue claws, and azure highlights really tie the whole color scheme together and work well with the shaping. The head is also very expressive, right down to the clever design used for the eyes. This Dragon is sure to bring some luck with him in this contest.

"Mictlantecuhtli" by Tino Poutiainen

Tino decided to make an Aztec god for his entry, so he has crafted Mictlantecuhtli, god of death and king of the underworld. The body has a very skinny design, as if he's little more than a corpse himself, but his still supports an impressive headdress and menacing face. (And also a neat owl sidekick!) The scene is further put together by having him balance atop a Mesoamerican pyramid, looking down on a single sacrifice. A very clever concept here!

"Eshu" by buttloaf_builds

buttloaf_builds crafted Eshu, a trickster Oshira spirit of the Yoruba people from modern day Nigeria. The body and limbs are impressively thin, so much that it's implied a separate stand is actually holding the model up, but was edited out of the main shot. Either way, the shaping is very impressive, and the intricate details on the face mask and hair are well done and more than a little creepy. I also like the use of the gear pieces in the necklace design. This is one spirit I would not want to encounter alone in the dark!

"Yee Naaldlooshii" by Pohaturon

Pohaturon made Yee Naaldlooshii, a dangerous shape-shifting witch from Navajo culture. This model is a bit smaller than the others, but still contains a lot of intricate details, making very good use of the white rubberbands. (And apparently even some stickers are used to add some non-conventional connection points.) The staff even features an nicely woven dream-catcher, which I assume is used for some sort of evil deed. A very interesting creation here!

"Dreri, Light of the Forest" by Cody Avery

Cody created a Dreri, a sacred animal out of Albanian culture. The deer itself is very well done, from a smooth body to its clever antlers. A detailed base was also included, which looks like it features the edge of a lake complete with a sloping tree in the background. I especially like how the golden dish was placed behind the head to indicate the sun, for which the animal is associated with. A very majestic creation!

"Bultungin" by Yannick Godts

Yannick's entry is the Bultungin, the Werehyena of North African folklore. The overall build has a neat mixture of human and hyena bits, although the intricate head is pure hyena. I am also impressed by the leaf elements used on the back, which give the effect of shaggy fur of a hyena. I hope not to meet this creature in the desert at night.

"The Dark Djinn" by Andrew Steele

Andrew has made a Djinn for his entry. The use of blacks, dark blue, and trans blue do a good job of giving him an mystical appearance, and the messy twirl of CCBS elements help fit in with his smokey look. Other good design parts are the creepy face and the golden lamp he's appearing out of. Choose carefully when asking for a wish from him!

That's all for today. Let us know which MOCs you want to see progress in the contest, and keep an eye on Flickr for Round Two's results and the introduction of the third round's theme. BZPower will be sure to share more of the cool creations in the future. Build on!

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