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It took me a long time to decide that I wanted to collect the bounty hunters from Empire Strikes Back. It was not until relatively recently that I got my first Boba Fett, and I felt like a typical fan boy for getting him; at the time I had no plans to get further bounty hunters. But reading reviews (like Michael Crawford's reviews of Sideshow's IG-88, Bossk, and 4-LOM) gradually eroded my restraint. Of course, I arrived late at the gate, and had to look for each of these on the secondary market, where they were being sold for generally inflated prices. In my effort to economize, I picked up the Medicom 4-LOM, although I realized it would be smaller than the standard sixth-scale figures. Although he was indeed a bit shorter on film, he really did not fit in. So I ended up getting the Sideshow figure anyway. What to do with two 4-LOMs? A comparative review, of course!
Here they are, side by side:
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The most obvious difference is that, although both figures are supposed to be sixth-scale, they have a very different stature. Medicom's 4-LOM (2011, part of their Real Action Heroes line) stands just under 11 inches (28 cm) tall; Sideshow's 4-LOM (2016) stands 12 inches (30 cm) tall. Compared to average sixth-scale figures, the former is too short, the latter perhaps just a tad too tall for what it should be (but it fits in far better overall). But there are plenty of additional differences, and the advantage does not always lie with Sideshow's 4-LOM.
In terms of articulation, Medicom has more limited leg articulation at the hips and features non-articulated (I think) elbows. Sideshow's legs are still fairly limited in their range of movement, but their articulation is better; better yet, the elbows here are articulated, and the pistons slide along their grooves as they are supposed to (unlike those on Sideshow's earlier C-3PO, which would rather snap and break than budge).
In terms of paint, overall, Medicom's 4-LOM has the more striking appearance, due to the more emphatic use of rust-like weathering on that figure. Compared to the actual appearance of the character on film (HERE and HERE), Medicom has exaggerated, while Sideshow has understated, the weathering: the "truth" lies somewhere in-between. A close look at the weathering on the Medicom figure reveals a rather abstract, artsy painting of the rusty areas that does not look realistic; but from a little distance it creates a much more striking and worn effect than the restrained paint job on the Sideshow figure. (I should note that there is more rusting/weathering on the Sideshow figure than readily apparent in the photos, but it is certainly less impressive than what we see on the Medicom figure.) The rather organic-looking metal (?) sections of the head are painted more silverish on the Medicom figure, and darker on the Sideshow one. Here the Medicom figure is perhaps more faithful to the film appearance of the character. That is certainly the case with the dark paint used on the Medicom figure for the indented round "tip" of the "nose" and the four "nostrils." On the other hand, the translucent green crushed-glass appearance of the "eyes" on the Sideshow figure is both more accurate and more striking than the green-painted "eyes" of the Medicom figure; Sideshow's translucent "eyes" appear to have a reflective backing on the interior, and "glow" when hit by the light.
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In terms of sculpting, there are plenty of minor differences. Many of these are difficult to verify due to the scant availability of images of the movie character, and I do not know what reference material was available to Medicom and Sideshow, respectively, and what (if anything) their sculptors created from their own imagination. There are minor differences in the sculpting of the organic-looking head (with greater detail and depth in the Medicom sculpt); the shoulder joint circles on the Medicom figure have a multi-grooved surface as opposed to a plain surface on the Sideshow figure; the five raised sections on the upper-back panel have a different relief on the two figures; the Sideshow figure has a little raised disk at the end of the spine and a raised circle on the upper thigh; the hands on the Sideshow figure have fairly plain insides, whereas those on the Medicom figure have 14 raised rectangular bumps (for better grip?) each -- I don't know if this is movie-accurate, but is certainly the more interesting hand sculpt by far. The exposed mid-section of both figures shows nicely sculpted and painted wires: those on the Medicom figure are more striking, but those on the Sideshow one are a separately sculpted layer hanging over a ribbed background. There may be additional minor differences I have overlooked of forgotten to mention.
In terms of accessories, both figures come with a limited but reasonable range. Both have stands and one partly articulated weapon (as with the body, the Medicom one has more impressive -- or should I say expressive -- weathering, but it is also shorter and less sturdy). The Medicom figure only has the two relaxed hands that come on the body; the Sideshow figure comes with two pairs of interchangeable hands: relaxed and gun grip ones (these last come on the figure).
Overall, except for the eyes, I find the Medicom figure the more striking one. However, the translucent/glowing eyes, taller stature, and articulated elbows on the Sideshow figure make me prefer (and keep) it. The beautiful little Medicom is earmarked for a friend. But before he goes, he gets to star in his mini vignette:
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Hope you enjoyed the little comparative review and photos. And maybe it will help you decide which (if any) of the two figures you might prefer.
Here they are, side by side:
The most obvious difference is that, although both figures are supposed to be sixth-scale, they have a very different stature. Medicom's 4-LOM (2011, part of their Real Action Heroes line) stands just under 11 inches (28 cm) tall; Sideshow's 4-LOM (2016) stands 12 inches (30 cm) tall. Compared to average sixth-scale figures, the former is too short, the latter perhaps just a tad too tall for what it should be (but it fits in far better overall). But there are plenty of additional differences, and the advantage does not always lie with Sideshow's 4-LOM.
In terms of articulation, Medicom has more limited leg articulation at the hips and features non-articulated (I think) elbows. Sideshow's legs are still fairly limited in their range of movement, but their articulation is better; better yet, the elbows here are articulated, and the pistons slide along their grooves as they are supposed to (unlike those on Sideshow's earlier C-3PO, which would rather snap and break than budge).
In terms of paint, overall, Medicom's 4-LOM has the more striking appearance, due to the more emphatic use of rust-like weathering on that figure. Compared to the actual appearance of the character on film (HERE and HERE), Medicom has exaggerated, while Sideshow has understated, the weathering: the "truth" lies somewhere in-between. A close look at the weathering on the Medicom figure reveals a rather abstract, artsy painting of the rusty areas that does not look realistic; but from a little distance it creates a much more striking and worn effect than the restrained paint job on the Sideshow figure. (I should note that there is more rusting/weathering on the Sideshow figure than readily apparent in the photos, but it is certainly less impressive than what we see on the Medicom figure.) The rather organic-looking metal (?) sections of the head are painted more silverish on the Medicom figure, and darker on the Sideshow one. Here the Medicom figure is perhaps more faithful to the film appearance of the character. That is certainly the case with the dark paint used on the Medicom figure for the indented round "tip" of the "nose" and the four "nostrils." On the other hand, the translucent green crushed-glass appearance of the "eyes" on the Sideshow figure is both more accurate and more striking than the green-painted "eyes" of the Medicom figure; Sideshow's translucent "eyes" appear to have a reflective backing on the interior, and "glow" when hit by the light.
In terms of sculpting, there are plenty of minor differences. Many of these are difficult to verify due to the scant availability of images of the movie character, and I do not know what reference material was available to Medicom and Sideshow, respectively, and what (if anything) their sculptors created from their own imagination. There are minor differences in the sculpting of the organic-looking head (with greater detail and depth in the Medicom sculpt); the shoulder joint circles on the Medicom figure have a multi-grooved surface as opposed to a plain surface on the Sideshow figure; the five raised sections on the upper-back panel have a different relief on the two figures; the Sideshow figure has a little raised disk at the end of the spine and a raised circle on the upper thigh; the hands on the Sideshow figure have fairly plain insides, whereas those on the Medicom figure have 14 raised rectangular bumps (for better grip?) each -- I don't know if this is movie-accurate, but is certainly the more interesting hand sculpt by far. The exposed mid-section of both figures shows nicely sculpted and painted wires: those on the Medicom figure are more striking, but those on the Sideshow one are a separately sculpted layer hanging over a ribbed background. There may be additional minor differences I have overlooked of forgotten to mention.
In terms of accessories, both figures come with a limited but reasonable range. Both have stands and one partly articulated weapon (as with the body, the Medicom one has more impressive -- or should I say expressive -- weathering, but it is also shorter and less sturdy). The Medicom figure only has the two relaxed hands that come on the body; the Sideshow figure comes with two pairs of interchangeable hands: relaxed and gun grip ones (these last come on the figure).
Overall, except for the eyes, I find the Medicom figure the more striking one. However, the translucent/glowing eyes, taller stature, and articulated elbows on the Sideshow figure make me prefer (and keep) it. The beautiful little Medicom is earmarked for a friend. But before he goes, he gets to star in his mini vignette:
Hope you enjoyed the little comparative review and photos. And maybe it will help you decide which (if any) of the two figures you might prefer.
