Figure of the Day: Day 420: 4-LOM

4-LOM with Blaster Pistol and Blaster Rifle Power of the Force Collection 2 Item No.: Asst. 69605 No. 69688 Number: n/a Includes: Blaster, rifle Action Feature: n/a Retail: $4.99 Availability: Summer 1997 Appearances: Empire Strikes Back Bio: 4-LOM was a LOM-series protocol droid who operated as a bounty hunter during the Galactic Civil War, and was hired by Darth Vader to find the Millennium Falcon. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.) Image: Adam Pawlus' toy shelves. Commentary: Back in 1997, a lot of the then-new figures that were coming out were considered to be nothing short of awesome upgrades to their vintage counterparts. 4-LOM here was not only a mighty upgrade, but an example of one of Kenner's finer "modern" figures. He wasn't too beefy, he had two good guns, he had a neat "rust" paint job, and he could do things like, you know, sit. This was an all-around good action figure and for years, most fans were quite pleased with him. With just six points of articulation, this figure was largely considered to be perfect upon release and not just because they got the name right this time. 10 years later, this figure still looks wonderful, although there are a few things that date it like the lack of articulation and the slightly larger guns. Still, I think this is a stellar figure all these years later and in a way it's a little disappointing to know Hasbro is releasing an all-new version later this year rather than basking in what was really an all-around decent release the last time. Collector's Notes: Originally released in 1997, 4-LOM saw the racks of retail again as part of a Diamond exclusive Bounty Hunter gift set in early 2006. The figure wasn't a huge seller during its initial release, so the droid bounty hunter could be picked up fairly cheaply over the years-- although the same could not be said for his partner, Zuckuss, in most markets.

Day 420: June 30, 2007