And the winner of the 2025 Best Figure of the Year Award goes to...

Damien said:
That's an excellent explanation, thanks. I guess I could have Googled it or read a Wiki or whatever, but hearing it from actual fans of the material is a lot more satisfying to me. What else are these communities for.
To be fair, you make the whole thing sound WAY cooler than it actually looks to me.
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In my old Marvel tabletop game universe, we eventually went to space. It was Starjammers, but all the World building was anything Marvel Cosmic. Since we were home brewing our own continuities and canon, we had a lot of leeway.

I wanted to make a Space Knight and the DM let me do whatever the hell I want because nobody cared about them. So I re-envisioned the Galadorians as a cross between a cyberpunk transhumanism society and Warhammer 40k Eldar, heavily steeped in Slaine and Judge Dredd comics and Irish folklore. I had a lot going on at the time.

I came up with this whole world lore where ROM was a title that was passed down, and the original ROM was a Conan like figure back before they even had computers on this planet. And then that title was passed down along with the titles of his concubines, which were essentially The Morrigan.

So ROM was an NPC faction leader who looked like this figure if he was a Chaos Marine, and my PC was a space knight Eowyn type with a big ass chain sword. Over time she ascended to become ROM when the Shi'ar begged the Galadorians to help defend against the Kree, who were conquering all of space in our long form campaign. As my character had been slumming around with the Starjammers (some OC, some chose to be Corsair and Hephzibah, and we had a rogue Nova corrupt cop type), she was deemed the one to interact with all the other civilizations on this quest to unite the galaxy.

Apologies to real ROM fans.
 
That sounds cooler than half the shit the end up actually doing with the cosmic side of the MU, to be fair.
Based on Storm's synopsis, I do think the Rom concept sounds pretty cool. But I am a very aesthetically-minded person when it comes to this stuff and if I can't get into the way a character looks, I will never be able to be a fan. And I think do not like the way Rom looks at all. So 'imagine if Rom were a Chaos Space Marine' totally works for me.
 
altcunningham said:
In my old Marvel tabletop game universe, we eventually went to space. It was Starjammers, but all the World building was anything Marvel Cosmic. Since we were home brewing our own continuities and canon, we had a lot of leeway.

I wanted to make a Space Knight and the DM let me do whatever the hell I want because nobody cared about them. So I re-envisioned the Galadorians as a cross between a cyberpunk transhumanism society and Warhammer 40k Eldar, heavily steeped in Slaine and Judge Dredd comics and Irish folklore. I had a lot going on at the time.

I came up with this whole world lore where ROM was a title that was passed down, and the original ROM was a Conan like figure back before they even had computers on this planet. And then that title was passed down along with the titles of his concubines, which were essentially The Morrigan.

So ROM was an NPC faction leader who looked like this figure if he was a Chaos Marine, and my PC was a space knight Eowyn type with a big ass chain sword. Over time she ascended to become ROM when the Shi'ar begged the Galadorians to help defend against the Kree, who were conquering all of space in our long form campaign. As my character had been slumming around with the Starjammers (some OC, some chose to be Corsair and Hephzibah, and we had a rogue Nova corrupt cop type), she was deemed the one to interact with all the other civilizations on this quest to unite the galaxy.

Apologies to real ROM fans.
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Man, that’s pretty intense.

You took inspiration from ROM and gave it your own epic spin, so as far as any apologies, I say thee nay! :)
 
Damien said:
That sounds cooler than half the shit the end up actually doing with the cosmic side of the MU, to be fair.
Based on Storm's synopsis, I do think the Rom concept sounds pretty cool. But I am a very aesthetically-minded person when it comes to this stuff and if I can't get into the way a character looks, I will never be able to be a fan. And I think do not like the way Rom looks at all. So 'imagine if Rom were a Chaos Space Marine' totally works for me.
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You like the idea, but not the artistic aesthetic. I get it. That reminds me of a sculptor with whom I worked on a couple of projects. He didn’t want to do a ROM sculpt because he didn’t like the design.

You know which character I always considered a more fully realized version of ROM, in that he too sacrificed his natural physiognomy/physical form in order to save his people? Beta Ray Bill. His origin is very similar in many ways.
 
Stormbreaker said:
You like the idea, but not the artistic aesthetic. I get it. That reminds me of a sculptor with whom I worked on a couple of projects. He didn’t want to do a ROM sculpt because he didn’t like the design.

You know which character I always considered a more fully realized version of ROM, in that he too sacrificed his natural physiognomy/physical form in order to save his people? Beta Ray Bill. His origin is very similar in many ways.
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That's an interesting comparison, actually.

And yeah, the 'look' has to work for me or I can't get into it with a visual medium like comics (and toys). If ROM's armor had more in common with an Iron Man or a Thor/BRB, I'd almost certainly be WAY more into the idea and have to find some copies. But I know reading a complete Wiki on the character is probably as far as I'll be able to go unless he gets brought back into the current MU with major design revisions (which would probably, rightly, piss off his longtime fans).
 
I finally got my last Legends of 2025. It was an extremely light Legends year for me, but it made for a solid top five:

1) Psylocke (Gamerverse)
2) Venom (Gamerverse)
3) Mystique
4) Storm (Outback)
5) Black Widow (Mini Comic)

I'm hoping to get Gamerverse Black Cat, Extremis Iron Man 2.0, and Deathbird on discount next year.
 
The more I think about it, the more I think the only Legends I bought this year were the Sentinel, 97 Logan, and 97 Cable. Ghost Rider too, maybe, but I still can't remember if I got him when he was fairly new in '24, or if I got him early '25. So he's a 'maybe.'
 
End of the year top five:

1) Maximum Spidey
2) Black Cat (Gamerverse)
3) Venom (Spidey 2 Gamerverse)
4) Punisher (Gamerverse)
5) X-Factor Jean

Characters I like. Fun to pose up, love the head sculpts. That's basically all I expect out of Legends these days.
 
I’ll just post the list that I gave Dan Yun on twitter for my official list for 2026. This is for marvel legends only, I did not include non Hasbro products on this list


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This is tough for me given how much wishlist stuff came out this year. For me, favorites are always a mix of figures that were on my wishlist and other figures where the execution was just so good, the figure was hard to put down.

1. X-Men ‘97 Sentinel. This one was both on my wishlist for a classic/animated Sentinel and for its execution. It’s the perfect Sentinel and the one I’ve wanted since I saw the first episode of the animated series in 1992.
2. X-Men ‘97 Cable. This figure reminds me of an updated version of the original Toy Biz X-Force figure from the 5” inch days. Cable isn’t my favorite character, but the execution is so great, I love it.
3. Spider-Man 3 Symbiote Spider-Man. This one is on here simply because I love the emo Tobey head and Venom effect. This was my desk figure for most of the year.
4. X-Force Archangel. I have the old SDDC one, but the execution on this was so good it deserves a spot.
5. Feral/Excalibur Rachel/Giant Size Banshee. Okay, a three-way tie is probably cheating, but I’m so glad Hasbro actually finished not one but three X-teams this year! Feels so satisfying!


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Stormbreaker said:

The winner of the 2025 Best Figure of the Year Award?​

There can be only one!
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Before I list my top 5 I have to ask. How did you attach that cyclops effect to blast to ROM?


Anyway here's my top 5

1.ROM: I never thought we'd get a modern 6" figure of this guy much less one in official marvel legends. Comes with everything it needs to( I wish we got the translator but it would probably be to big for the package and it wasn't used that much anyway)
Definitely the figure I looked forward to the most this year and it didn't disappoint.
2. Rachel Summers: amazing figure that made me interested in learning more about the character. I love the Phoenix wing effects
3. Gamerverse juggernaut: honestly it's probably tied with gargantos but I have more use for a juggernaut in my display and it's an amazing update.
4. Gamerverse psyloke: on a figure quality level this should be higher up on the list but I still think it's an amazing figure with awesome effects.
5. 97' jubilee: lowest on the list because I wish she came in earlier costume. But jubilee is my favorite x men character and it's great to get a version with double jointed elbows And some proper firework effects

Honorable mention: deathbird. Just a really cool design executed in plastic perfectly.
 
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jkpopculure is hereby awarded this month’s Golden Neutralizer Award for such stalwart support of everyone’s favorite Galadorian from Hasbro. :)

As far as attaching Cycle’s ruby blast, I first cut out a bit of the mouth/front opening of ROM’s Neutralizer (where the blast effect plugs in). That red piece of the Neutralizer is a soft plastic; you just need to make a wide enough slice for the eye beam accessory.

Next, I measured the optic blast against the width of the Neutralizer’s opening, and trimmed a little off both sides. It plugged right in.

It’s so much better than the accessory that came with the ROM figure. While the ROM blast effect accessory is nice and looks good, it doesn’t look anything like the ray effect as depicted countless times in the comics.
 
Stormbreaker said:
jkpopculure is hereby awarded this month’s Golden Neutralizer Award for such stalwart support of everyone’s favorite Galadorian from Hasbro. :)

As far as attaching Cycle’s ruby blast, I first cut out a bit of the mouth/front opening of ROM’s Neutralizer (where the blast effect plugs in). That red piece of the Neutralizer is a soft plastic; you just need to make a wide enough slice for the eye beam accessory.

Next, I measured the optic blast against the width of the Neutralizer’s opening, and trimmed a little off both sides. It plugged right in.

It’s so much better than the accessory that came with the ROM figure. While the ROM blast effect accessory is nice and looks good, it doesn’t look anything like the ray effect as depicted countless times in the comics.
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You're too kind.

And thanks for the tip. I might consider trying that. But then again I only have one of those specific optic blast effects and id rather use it for cyclops. Than again I'm considering a second ROM so who knows .



Side note: While I think ROM is probably a one off id love to get at least starshine. And maybe a "true form" dire wraith of some kind. There was one that toybiz almost did in the 90s. I wish it had come out because it would probably be fudge-able with legends looking at the prototype. If nothing else we could get more of the spaceknights marvel still owns like Ikon (come to think of it they own starshine too, it's just the dire wraith's that they would need to get permission for as while marvel continued to use them they were mentioned in one of the commercials for the original ROM toy so they apparently shouldn't have been. Though marvel still owns their version of the design for the dire wraith's🤔) I get that there are other hasbro owned licensed marvel characters that people probably want more like micronauts but then again I thought crystar was a one off (albeit one fully owned by marvel) and we got warbow so who knows?
 
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And the winner of my 2026 favorite figure of the year award goes to, ...envelope please...

CHAMPION OF THE UNIVERSE - He might not be the most complex figure or have the most accessories, but damn if this bad boy isn't one hell of a glorious win. In addition to his impressive size and rendering, his articulation is well-engineered and everything works well. And there's the fact that I, for one, NEVER imagined he had even the slightest chance of ever being made in the Legends line. His inclusion instills so much hope that even the most obscure characters from the farthest corners of the Marvel universe are actually a possibility. And that, for me, sparks joy. Hahaha

The runners up are...

1. DRAGON MAN - I've never loved the look of the original Toybiz figure. Despite some minor engineering nitpicks, Hasbro's offering is a spot-on representation of EXACTLY what I need my Dragon Man to look like. Plus,...he's hefty af.

2. EXECUTIONER - Again, simply a spot-on rendering with a badass visage. This bad boy definitely has mad presence on the shelf.

3. '97 SENTINEL - Despite paying the Pulse procrastinator tax, I am so happy I purchased one. It is yet another perfectly rendered, ESSENTIAL addition to the collection.

4. SHUMA GORATH - I mean, come on; it's Shuma-emmer-effing-Gorath!! How can he NOT be on the list. He is supertentacular!

5. ROM - Like with Champion, I really never thought I'd see him in the ML line. And again, he's wonderfully rendered and well-engineered. Soooo much win.

After all my gripes and nitpicks, I have to acknowledge the ML team has been crushing the game these last few years and have provided us with some of the most superfantastic ML figures to ever exist. I'm so thankful, that I'd like to officially apologize for the countless times I posted unhinged vitriol during the dark days, screaming "SUCK IT HASBRO!" into the digital void.


Now, on to 2026...
 
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