Dream Fight 2026 Recap: Winners and Entries from Our Figure Battle Contest

Dream Fight 2026 was P-Rex Hobby's community figure contest on Instagram: stage a fight between characters who could never meet, using figures, Gunpla, model kits or other collectibles, and post it as a photo or Reel. Entries closed on September 21, the community voted by liking our reposts from September 22 to 28, and the winners were announced on September 29. This recap collects the winning entries, a selection of video entries from our YouTube channel, and what is coming next.

How Dream Fight Worked

We announced the contest on Instagram on June 19, 2026, as a follow-up to last year's Gunpla Building Contest. The brief was open: any characters, any universes, and the more impossible the matchup, the better. The only content rule was that an entry had to show at least two characters facing off; a single figure posing did not count.

To enter, builders posted their fight on Instagram, followed and tagged @prex_hobby, and added #prexhobby_dreamfight. After entries closed, every entry went up on our feed as a numbered repost. Voting worked by likes: every like on a P-Rex repost counted as one vote, and likes on the original posts did not count. Builders could enter as many times as they liked, but each person could win only one prize.

The prizes were P-Rex Hobby gift cards for the top three, and the rules also promised the top three a pinned spot on our Instagram profile. The full rules are in the original announcement post.

The Results

According to our winners announcement, the contest drew 44 fights from 32 creators, and 2,519 votes were cast. The community picked:

• 1st: RX-78 Gundam vs Optimus Prime, by estongcreation
• 2nd: "Just two beasts fighting each other", by notsokidtoys
• 3rd: Barbatos, "I'll take your chains off for you", by ohmanitsnekochan

Congratulations to all three, and thank you to everyone who staged a fight, filmed it and put it out there.

1st Place: RX-78 Gundam vs Optimus Prime

A two-franchise crossover Reel: the RX-78 Gundam against Optimus Prime. The creator's own caption sums it up as "Two legends. Two universes."

2nd Place: "Just two beasts fighting each other"

The second-place entry was a photo rather than a video, so it is not on our YouTube channel. You can see it in the Entry #13 repost on our Instagram.

3rd Place: Barbatos, "I'll take your chains off for you"

A Gundam Barbatos Reel, captioned by the creator with the line that gives the entry its title.

More Entries Worth Watching

With the creators' permission, we shared many of the video entries on our YouTube channel. These six show how differently people approached the same brief.

Goku vs Krillin, by panellinedreams

The creator set out to recreate classic Dragon Ball manga fight panels using figures, posing, camera movement and a little editing.

Barbatos vs Hashmal, by rosie_custom_gunpla

An MGSD Barbatos takes on the mobile armor Hashmal in a full Iron-Blooded Orphans diorama, with weathered terrain, battle damage and pink energy effects.

Gunpla stop-motion, by tiago_87

A Gunpla fight animated frame by frame as stop-motion.

Makima vs Gojo, by mevmakesmedia

An anime crossover: Makima from Chainsaw Man against Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen.

Evangelion Unit-01 vs Sachiel, by jiroshin

Evangelion Unit-01 faces Sachiel, the Angel it fights in the second episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Optimus Prime leads the Gundams against a kaiju, by aki_no_o_gojulas

A team-up rather than a duel: Optimus Prime leading a group of Gundams against a kaiju.

All Video Entries on Our YouTube Channel

These video entries are also on our YouTube channel:

• Big bro vs little bro — RG RX-78-2 2.0 enters the ring, by panellinedreams
• Wing Zero vs Epyon — face to face, by jagplastudio
• Team Gundam or Team Transformers?, by hobbygunpla1
• David vs Goliath, by bjonedison
• Rifle at range vs great sword up close, by bjonedison
• Entry #28, by bjonedison
• Entry #18, by marzexp
• A battle of legends, by scoots_mcg
• SEED Destiny vs Endless Waltz, by gundam.dior
• SDCS Full Armor Gundam vs SDCS Psycho Zaku (Thunderbolt), by jiroshin

Photo entries are not on YouTube. To see every entry in one place, numbered, open the all-entries carousel on our Instagram.

How to Make a Figure Battle Video

None of this is a rule; it is what tends to make a fight readable on a phone screen.

• Pick a matchup people get instantly. The crossovers above work because viewers know both sides before the first frame. If the matchup needs explaining, put it in the first line of your caption.
• Frame for vertical. Reels and Shorts are watched upright. Keep both fighters inside the middle of the frame so nothing important gets cropped.
• Get your fighters off the ground. A display stand such as an Action Base lets you hold a suit mid-jump or mid-dash and keep the support out of the shot.
• Add impact with effect parts. Effect pieces such as Tamashii Effect sets read as energy, smoke or lightning on camera without any editing.
• Move the camera, not just the figures. A slow push-in or a short pan between two poses adds motion even if each figure only changes stance once or twice.
• Light one side. A single lamp from the side gives shadows and depth; flat overhead light makes plastic look flat.
• Keep it short. Show the setup, the clash and the result. A tight clip is easier to watch twice.
• Check the rules before you post. Tag the account and use the exact hashtag the contest asks for, or your entry may not be found.

If you are planning a Gundam fight, our Gundam model kits collection is a good place to start, and the Transformers collection covers the other side of the Gundam vs Transformers matchups that turned up in several of this year's entries.

What's Next for Gunpla Builders

Next up for Gunpla builders is our Year-End Gunpla Building Contest. The theme was decided by a community vote and announced on Instagram in February: Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans. Build any IBO kit, straight build, painted or fully customized, post a photo or Reel on Instagram, tag @prex_hobby and use #prex_hobby_IBO. Submissions close November 30, voting runs December 1 to 25, and winners will be announced December 26. Full details are in the contest announcement, and you can browse kits in our Iron-Blooded Orphans collection.