4-LOM was a LOM-series protocol droid manufactured by Industrial Automaton who was programmed by a specific individual. The programmer told him about a planet where droids rose up. 4-LOM was assigned to a luxury liner, but logic glitches and personality software corruption allowed 4-LOM to override his programming. 4-LOM rewrote his programming, and became a galactic thief, and later a bounty hunter. As a criminal 4-LOM was known for specializing in anticipating the moves of its targets.
Action Figure collecting are mundane activity these days with processes and steps all laid out. Started off with an announcement by a manufacturer. Pre-Order (PO) the product with our favorite supplier. Wait a good 1 year or more usually for the product to be release to market. Get a notification from supplier product is ready for picking up. Make a trip to the stall, pay up collect the toy and head home. Everything is predictable to a dot. Good ol'Figure hunting is a thing of the past.
This Sideshow 4-LOM bring back all the nostalgia for me. The figure was released almost 10yrs ago in 2017. Had a chance to get it from a shop some many years back and I keenly remember the price was S$250/-. But alas! when I am finally ready to get it, that shop folded and the owner was nowhere to be found except a sale opening in Carousell which I tried contacting several times without response.
Kind of a similar situation with Momaw Nadon [https://red-6.blogspot.com/2021/05/sideshow-toys-16-scale-star-wars-momaw.html#more]. Deja vu. Have since been keeping a watch on this on and off line, eBay not considered though. There are quite a few Medicom version in the market with proper pricing, which I am gonna pull that trigger out of hopelessness. But Medicom's 1/6 is really 1/7-ish. This is the one thing that is stopping me on buying their version.
The day came when I was routinely swipping my mobile on the facebook app when a posting caught my attention. A local Hot Toys distributer is having a sale of their warehouse finds and also figures they have used for window display. Lo and behold, 4-LOM is right there in one of the picture, bottom shelf. The FB post was 3 days old when I saw it, 4-LOM could have been taken. It was confirmed still available after I made a call to the stall. Went down immediately and this Bounty Hunter is now happily in my collection.
This Sideshow 4-LOM bring back all the nostalgia for me. The figure was released almost 10yrs ago in 2017. Had a chance to get it from a shop some many years back and I keenly remember the price was S$250/-. But alas! when I am finally ready to get it, that shop folded and the owner was nowhere to be found except a sale opening in Carousell which I tried contacting several times without response.
Kind of a similar situation with Momaw Nadon [https://red-6.blogspot.com/2021/05/sideshow-toys-16-scale-star-wars-momaw.html#more]. Deja vu. Have since been keeping a watch on this on and off line, eBay not considered though. There are quite a few Medicom version in the market with proper pricing, which I am gonna pull that trigger out of hopelessness. But Medicom's 1/6 is really 1/7-ish. This is the one thing that is stopping me on buying their version.
The day came when I was routinely swipping my mobile on the facebook app when a posting caught my attention. A local Hot Toys distributer is having a sale of their warehouse finds and also figures they have used for window display. Lo and behold, 4-LOM is right there in one of the picture, bottom shelf. The FB post was 3 days old when I saw it, 4-LOM could have been taken. It was confirmed still available after I made a call to the stall. Went down immediately and this Bounty Hunter is now happily in my collection.
Breaking it down now in categories to reveal if this is a gem or something else.
Design - 4/5
This 4-LOM will never be able to look over it's shoulders because somehow the head can swivel no more than 15° from the center making it a max traverse of 30°. Isn't cyborg be able to turn their "heads" 360°? 1 myth there I hope the designer will give some insight.
As an "Action Figure", Sideshow's 4-LOM fall short on many areas but that is only because the droid body design is as such. After trying to pose it for this photoshoot, gotta give a Kudos to Sideshow for I believe greatest effort were made to give articulation points to this figure as best as the droid body design can possibly allow.
Another hightlight to point out are on those insectoid eyes. I studies the grid patterns on both side and apparently, they are not the same. That means these are designed separately as 2 different part and not a mirror of each other. Very impress.
If the assumption is correct, these eyes are also casted in clear green plastic to give them lighting properties for a glow if a light source is directed on it.
Differences with C-3PO :
Arms, legs and waist pieces are exact pieces with C-3PO. While the body and back plate has alternate design. Stomache piece with the exposed wires are also different with 4-LOM having less cables running across in comparison.
Sculpting - 4.5/5
All the intricate sculpting happen on the headsculpt. Sideshow does a great job in my opinion. Special call out on the big insectoid "compound eyes" with repeating irregular grid patterns and the effort to not duplicate the otherside as an easy way out.
Details are faithfully replicated on the rest of the headsculpt to reflect organic matter while the rest of the body are mechanical.
Details on the body, arms and legs are crisp and well define.
Painting - 3.5/5
Good painting will bring a good sculpt to the next level. The paintworks for the eyes has done it justice. But there is no further layer of paint on the rest of the head which head looks spanking clean and new.
While the rest of the body were tinge with reddish rust all over the details. Personally I feel the rust are too well define line panel lining. If gradient of fading rust on some of the areas will be perfect.
Very subtle silver highlighting on the weapon.
Articulation - 2.5/5
There is no fault for 4-LOM on having a low score in this department. This "C-3PO" body design simply does not allow dynamic movements or posses.However that small degree neck swivel does not sit well with me. This score purely reflects the amount of poseability possible for this figure.
Very small degree of waist swivel and forward crunch. Good degree of back crunching though.
Hinged ball joint on the arm but strangely to fold it back towards the body ie the natural stance or max swivel to perpendicular with the body. No further sideway movement. Only up and down for the elbows, no sideway, which is understandable due to 2 pistons locking in that position.
Groin hinge allow all round swivel until the hip armour hit either side of the front or back waist piece. Good knee movement too.
There are the standard up/down and rocking for the feet. Hence waist down articulation is all good.
Accessories - 2.5/5
4-LOM came with Right trigger hand and Left holding hand attached to the body. Another pair of relaxed hands provided as spare. 1x DLT-19 Heavy Blaster (ie WWII German MG-32/34 machine gun) and 1 hexagonal platform with crotch holding stand. That's all it has typically of Sideshow figure.
I have said here numerous times it is actually my preference like this to have lesser accessories. Accessories that are not related to the figure - example Hot Toys MMS 838 Remnants Snowtrooper that came with a Mouse Droid - which given a choice to vote will want it opt out.
Accessories that help with more posing options to the figure ie more hands, face espression swap pieces, headgear, weapons (to a lesser extent) are items I would prefer.
Lack of more hands types is a bummer for this category.
.jpg)
Overall - 4/5
If a dynamic posing 4-LOM that can do a pew-pew=pew stance or running, jumping, squatting stance, this guy can't do any. But if an accurate, to scale and beautifully made 4-LOM, not forgetting it is one of the original 6 OG bounty hunters first made known in the Star Wars universe, then this Sideshow version is the one and only one to get.
As mentioned, Medicom made one which in detail wise should be comparable but scale wise is off the required 1/6 scale ie estimated 30cm height. Hasbro made the other known 1/6 4-LOM but that one is made for to play with by children.
If a dynamic posing 4-LOM that can do a pew-pew=pew stance or running, jumping, squatting stance, this guy can't do any. But if an accurate, to scale and beautifully made 4-LOM, not forgetting it is one of the original 6 OG bounty hunters first made known in the Star Wars universe, then this Sideshow version is the one and only one to get.
As mentioned, Medicom made one which in detail wise should be comparable but scale wise is off the required 1/6 scale ie estimated 30cm height. Hasbro made the other known 1/6 4-LOM but that one is made for to play with by children.
It still feel sweet on how I finally landed this piece seemingly out of nothing. Can I say this type of feeling is like a 1/6 collecting orgasm - for the lack of better word.
Entry of it's buddies within this blog ie Bossk, IG-88 & Zuckuss - all from Sideshow Toys - and in sequential order of which one was bought before the other.
Entry of it's buddies within this blog ie Bossk, IG-88 & Zuckuss - all from Sideshow Toys - and in sequential order of which one was bought before the other.
No entry yet for ESB Boba Fett yet and will plan an entry into this blog within this month hopefully. And only this guy is by Hot Toys.
No comments:
Post a Comment