4-LOM - DD

All different types of droids populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors. A rusty droid with insectile features, 4-LOM was originally a protocol droid, but logic glitches allowed him to escape his programming and become a bounty hunter. That proved a perfect occupation.

We wonder if one of our readers works at Disney Parks product development. We wished and hoped for Disney (or Hasbro) to produce a 4-LOM Build A Droid figure based on the tooling from the Disney Parks 2017 Collection of Droid Factory figures. When this line of Disney Build A Droids came out and featured an LOM-series Protocol Droid, we began to fantasize about seeing 4-LOM realized in this format. And here we are three years later, and it’s come to pass. 4-LOM isn’t perfect for its deco, but it is excellent when it comes to its tooling. So, are you going to overlook the paint operations to have a near-definitive version of 4-LOM regarding dimensions and its silhouette? 4-LOM is a gorgeous-looking action figure. We’re thrilled to see it packaged as part of the Droid Depot line. Once in a while, Disney impresses us with what they can accomplish in the 3.75” line. We all know Hasbro isn’t meeting our expectations, so it’s nice to augment the Hasbro collection with other “in-scale” 3.75” action figured produced by Disney. Again, 4-LOM has deco issues. We’re not going to misrepresent that critical detail at all. However, we feel this figure has more going for it than against it.

The most impressive detail on 4-LOM is the head sculpt. Disney nailed the curvature, the scale, the elements, and the photoreceptors perfectly with only one take. Unfortunately, Hasbro produced several 4-LOM action figures in the Hasbro line, which fall short in significant ways. But the complete opposite is the case for the Droid Depot 4-LOM action figure. Hasbro also had difficulty designing delicate and thin limbs to give the droid a relatively curvy contoured body. Look at the details in the arms and the legs. The extremities are beautiful and recreate the on-screen character’s physical traits wonderfully. But there is also much to be said about 4-LOM’s torso. It also has a shape and gorgeous design, and it complements the arms and legs nicely as well. When all of the Build A Droid parts are assembled, you’re left with the most screen-accurate interpretation of 4-LOM the 3.75” toy line has ever seen. We’re not exaggerating. If you like 2010’s TVC 4-LOM (VC10) now, you’re going to throw it in the trash once you compare it to this figure. Another advantage of the Droid Depot 4-LOM action figure is the included DLT-19 heavy blaster rifle. Loaded with detail and perfectly painted, it complete 4-LOM as you remember the bounty hunter on the Executor’s bridge.

Let’s talk about 4-LOM paint operations in greater detail. The figure is too dark throughout, and perhaps a lighter shade of charcoal gray would have looked better. And they messed up the figure’s photoreceptors. While the pattern is stunning on them, the color should be green and not gold. The Droid Depot 4-LOM lacks the most is the packaging. But if we’re all honest, the Droid Depot line look is as simple as it gets to toy packaging. Mostly white, with navy highlights and robotic text, the Droid Depot packaging could use help from graphic designers to be a little more engaging. In the center of the packaging is a still featuring 4-LOM on Darth Vader’s star destroyer. When you compare it to The Vintage Collection 4-LOM (VC10) figure, you’ll see how much the Kenner styled card art does for the action figure. You’d immediately choose the TVC figure with a cursory comparison because of the packaging alone. It’s not a contest. 4-LOM has quite a history in the Star Wars toy line. If you recall, the figure was released as 1982’s ESB Zuckuss because Kenner mixed up the assassin droid’s name as well as the Gand bounty hunter it often worked beside.