Review – Star Wars 4-LOM

“The shortest of the bounty hunters, the alien once known as 4-LOM has now had his name corrected to Zuckuss. There are very few reference photos available for this character. His head is similar in shape to the droid that is now called 4-LOM.”
— from the Star Wars Action Figure Archive

So last month we took a look at the 1982 Zuckuss action figure (review here), so it’s only fitting that we zero in on his partner — 4-LOM — today. A weird, bug-eyed alien bounty hunter, 4-LOM — now known as Zuckuss (man, that gets confusing pretty fast) — has a fun design and is easily one of my favorite Star Wars action figures from the old Kenner line (check my post, 10 Greatest Star Wars Action Figures, for my other favorites).

Fantastic Accessories

Besides the unusual design of the figure’s head, the other thing that turns this into one of the best of the vintage Star Wars action figures is 4-LOM’s accessories. A cloth coat, plastic harness, and unusual blaster combine with the figure’s head to turn him into more than just a solid chunk of plastic with limited articulation.

The photos above show 4-LOM completely outfitted. I picked up this particular action figure with the coat and harness for $4 at Hog Wild, a fun store here in Austin. $4 was a great deal for him; he’s in good shape and all of the joints are nice and stiff. Then, while poking around eBay, I ran across a seller with replica Star Wars action figure weapons so $1 later (I also ordered a few other items so shipping wasn’t a big deal) I had a weapon for 4-LOM. Unlike many other Star Wars figures, this guy without his accessories goes from awesome to lame. Don’t believe me? Take a look at “naked” 4-LOM, below.

Closing Thoughts

Sure, there are newer versions of this character that look better, but none of them bring back the flood of memories that this classic does. I know I posted this commercial before (when I reviewed the 12″ Zuckuss), but I remember this so well that I just have to share it again.

4-LOM is a poor action figure compared to what we can get today, but for 1982 he’s a beautiful piece of work with an excellent head sculpt and accessories that make him one of best of the classic Star Wars action figure line. And for a total of $5, I think I did pretty good in picking up a complete copy of this guy.

Philip Reed has all six of the bounty hunters of Empire but he still needs a few weapons to make the set truly complete. And he should probably find a Star Destroyer playset so that the figures have an appropriate home. But even if he found a Star Destroyer playset for a good price, where would he stick that giant chunk of ugly plastic?