SHOW 149 THOSE OLD FOSSILS 27: THE BOUNTY HUNTER CAPTURE POD PART 4 4-LOM AND ZUCKUSS
This is Episode 149 of Generation Skywalker's vintage Star Wars collecting podcast, covering the final two bounty hunters from The Empire Strikes Back: 4-LOM and Zuckuss. The hosts discuss the history, variants, and collectibility of these figures, concluding with a ranking of all five bounty hunters covered in their series.
Summary
This Generation Skywalker podcast episode celebrates their 150th recording by covering 4-LOM and Zuckuss, the final two bounty hunters from their Empire Strikes Back bounty hunter series. The hosts discuss the naming confusion that occurred when Lucasfilm switched the names of these characters in the 1990s at the urging of West End Games, who felt the names better suited the respective character types. Dan provides background on both characters, explaining that 4-LOM was a protocol droid whose programming became corrupted, leading him to become a bounty hunter motivated by greed, while Zuckuss is a Gand mystic who uses spiritual tracking abilities. The hosts share personal collecting memories, with Jez recalling getting 4-LOM as a childhood comfort after injuring his toe in a swimming pool, creating lasting nostalgic connections. Expert guests Mark Andrews and Ron Salvatore provide detailed information about variants and production details, including the rare PBP red armor variant of 4-LOM and various factory production differences. Ron discusses the cardback rarities, noting that some 4-LOM Empire Strikes Back cards are among the rarest in the line, with a 48A example selling for nearly $19,000. The episode concludes with a mini-committee ranking of all five bounty hunters covered in the series, with IG-88 taking first place, followed by Bossk, Dengar, 4-LOM, and Zuckuss in last place. The hosts also discuss upcoming auctions featuring Star Wars collectibles and preview their final episodes covering Boba Fett.
About this episode
Join Those Old Fossils for the 4th Bounty Hunter Capture Pod, this time covering the duo of 4-LOM and Zuckuss, as well as the reveal of the results of our mini Committee, ranking the 5 bounty hunter action figures we have covered so far. The team open with a discussion the upcoming Oberon and Vectis auctions happening in October. Moving on to 4-LOM and Zuckuss, we cover the characters, the Kenner name swap. the 4-LOM mail-away offer, share thoughts on the figures, the card backs, the multipacks, and the lack of beyond the toys items featuring the characters. Ron Salvatore from the Star Wars Collectors Archive provides a Rebel Alliance Briefing on the 2 figures, and Mark Andrews from The Variant Villains is back to talk figures variations. No rock is left unturned in our comprehensive overview of these 2 bug eyed bounty hunters.
Key Insights
- Lucasfilm switched the names of 4-LOM and Zuckuss in the 1990s at the urging of West End Games, who felt the original names didn't suit the character types
- 4-LOM's name stands for 'for love of money' which was the real intention behind the character's motivation according to Dan's research
- Zuckuss was originally going to be called 'Tukus' but Lucasfilm realized this was Yiddish slang for 'ass' so they changed it before the movie release
- Cathy Monroe, a woman, portrayed Zuckuss inside the costume, making him one of the few classic trilogy aliens brought to life by a female performer
- The 4-LOM Empire Strikes Back 48A carded figure sold for nearly $19,000 at auction as an AFA 60, making it one of the rarest Empire cards
- 4-LOM was never released on a tri-logo card, making him unavailable for collectors focusing on that card variation
- Mark Andrews describes 4-LOM as 'the flop of all flops' when stripped of accessories, calling the figure beige, bland, and unpainted
- The PBP red armor variant of 4-LOM from Spain is quite rare and expensive, currently selling for around 200 pounds according to Mark Andrews
- Zuckuss has tracking numbers on tracker showing only two Clipper 45B examples sold in 17 years, demonstrating extreme rarity
- Ron Salvatore ranks IG-88 first among bounty hunters because he's 'so weird like a weaponized Tin Man and of course he has two guns'
- The committee vote resulted in IG-88 scoring 34 out of 35 possible points, with only Pete placing him second instead of first
- Jez controversially ranked Dengar last, describing him as looking like he 'needs to go for a run' and has 'bog roll wrapped around his head'
Topics
Transcript
[0:01] Well, you said it, Chewy. Where did you dig up that old fossil? >> It's a positive film. It has heroes and villains and uh that it essentially uh is a fun movie to watch. It's been a long time since people have been able to go to the movies and see a sort of straightforward, [music] wholesome, fun adventure. Well, it's [music] a fantasy. It's not science fiction so much as it is space [0:33] fantasy. And it's about people. It's about find it's [music] finally about people and not finally about science. The story when you [music] actually put it into words is only so much nonsense to hang a great visual experience onto. It's the [music]…
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