5 Quick Facts about the Battle Ram

[@MK7-MephistoKevin777]

Hoping Mattel will release an origins Battle Ram Mobile Launcher to attach the Sky Sled, but kind of doubting they will unless it's crown funded. (See you on The Frenzy) not live I always miss it and watch afterwards.

[@battleramblog]

@@MK7-MephistoKevin777 fingers crossed! Thank you for watching 🙂

[@theoutsider220281]

Good job, I like the facts. Continue like that. Greeting from France.

[@battleramblog]

Thank you!

[@KevinDelies]

Wonderfull!

[@battleramblog]

@@KevinDelies thank you Kevin!

[@tupalev]

Awesome video, ty! The thorough research is so appreciated and I'm really enjoying the voice over as well!. Box art will almost always be my favourite version of these vehicles, especially with the early ones.

[@battleramblog]

Thanks so much! Yes, it's hard to beat the box art. I kind of want to live in the worlds of the box art (but not without a good shield and some armor!)

[@josephk8506]

Awesome video Adam… Probably your best one thus far in terms of the history and its development. My favorite version is definitely the Classics version; and I keep looking at it daily in awe, and hopefully we’ll get the Origins version sooner than later.

[@battleramblog]

Thank you Joseph, much appreciated!

[@josephk8506]

@@battleramblog Keep this good stuff coming...

[@SkeleVader]

Fantastic video, Adam!

[@battleramblog]

Thank you Skele!

[@falleneldor]

Regarding the "Thunder Three" its probably an image Mattel had on hand when they deigned the Battle Ram Chariot in 2002 line i wonder? I blank on the name for the heroic vehicle that same 1st year, but even the general shape looks like someone saw the "battle catapult" and deigned that vehicle after perhaps seeing this art too I wonder?

[@battleramblog]

Yeah, it's a good question. The Thunder 3 does recall the 200x Battle Ram Chariot, and the Battle Chariot recalls the 200x Battle Tank, at least a little. Maybe Rueben at Mattel would know, I know he worked on the 200x line, and the vehicles were done in-house at Mattel

[@falleneldor]

@battleramblog thanks. Ah yes Battle TANK. Good point about Martinez. Iirc he started work on the 200X variants. Idk who designed internally designed 20oX vehicles. That one guy who worked on NA first in like 1990ish, and was still at mattel when 200X and classics engineering. Not Ed watts. Bennecky? Bennajechk? Bennitons?!?! 🤣🙄 bill Benedict? Sometimes along those lines.

[@falleneldor]

Just an aside; I'd love a "credits page" with name and job title with each mattel employee, freelance artist, licensing partner etc who contributed to the creation of motu on your site. All 500-1,000 people you know lol.

[@battleramblog]

@@falleneldor Bill Benecke I think! :)

[@battleramblog]

@@falleneldor That's something I've started doing on and off, but have never finished it. I might try to get that done. The information on that isn't complete though

[@falleneldor]

Man At Arms rides both the never made "battle chariot" on page 12 of He-Man and the Power Sword and then the back half of battleram "moble launcher" later on in page 19.🤔 After seing these first passes at the images with Taylor's vehicles in Alcala's initiatal pencle art everything makes so much sence now! I wonder if the battle chariot and sky sled where at some stage of early development two separate vehicles! The idea to combine them it what birthed the battleram... Think about the 1st printing of the booklet. Its still being called "lords of power" on the final page by Sprit of Grayskull. The logo for MOTU hadn't yet been painted as the cover has a placeholder for the TM logo. They rushed this book into production probably to have something to passout at NY Toyfare to explain the principle charecters. We only the the battleram in one interior page, and the back cover. They didn't even go back and remove or redraw the Battle Chariot seen in the cave that M@A rides to he-mans hew home. They just ran out of time for Alcala to change any more art around before it had to go off to printers. So man at Arms rides two vehicles never seen in any other pages of the 1982 illustrared books. We wont see it again until Kid Stuff and DC start printing motu stories. After they where combined Into battleram/Jet Sled, that left room for the Windraider to begin conception I think. But in the next two stories we NEVER see the battle ram half. Its crazy. They only promoted the Jet Sled! Except in blazing glory in the unfinished unpublished Witman press 3rd origin story that predates Golden Books Sunbird Legacy.

[@falleneldor]

By the Elders do I love hypothesizing timeline stuff for MOTU mysteries 😅

[@battleramblog]

So it appears from the concept art I have that the Battle Chariot was created couple of months after the Battle Ram. In in the first Battle Ram concept art (April 7, 1981) the Sky Sled isn't a separate thing, it's just part of whole vehicle. By the revisions on April 27 1981, the Sky Sled was separable from the back half. Then in early June 1981 Ted created the Battle Chariot as the lower priced vehicle, which was dropped and replaced with the Wind Raider. • Early Battle Ram, 6 wheels no griffin face: 4/7/81 • Three Wheeled Battle Ram with griffin face: 4/27/81 • Revised version with four wheels: 4/27/81 • Battle Chariot: 6/5/81

[@falleneldor]

@@battleramblog that's awesome I love how well organized your timeline work is. I'm bad at sorting time. That really makes a lot of sense actually. The battle Chariot is too similar. Its easy to see why its axed from the line up. I could see someone easily saying "no give us an air or sea vehicle since we got "sea-man" and "wingman." A month later we have literally another 2-in-1 vehicle with the way the windraider pulls double duty. That feels like whoever is like "well budget 8 figures, 3 vechles/beasts and 1 playset for year one of the line" and then split that up in half with the first four figures and 1st vehicle and the second set of four and a vehicle. Only thing then I cant figure is why did the Chariot show up twice and back half of battleram only on one page in the 1st story? 🤔🙁 Why is the "sky sled" so prominently used in all four books, but the "mobile launcher" so underused. 🤨🙃 It's so weeeeeeeeeird! You think they ever Sculpted the Battle Chariot since it shows up more then Battle Rams's back half in that 1st story? Like both similar "battle" ground vehicles are co-developed. but as funds are allocated to tooling on the figure bucks being streamlined for parts reuse They don't know which "battle wheels" vechile is going to get that first vehicle slot... the cheaper or more expensive two part vehicle. Maybe that's why the Jet Sled is used so much in the story. At one point the vehicles are just an after thought? Idk

[@falleneldor]

Do we know when Alcala 1st started to draw the arts?

[@battleramblog]

@@falleneldor Good question. I wouldn't be totally surprised if it got sculpted, but I really don't know. I feel like this one deserves a vehicle at this point since it shows up in the first minicomic. I also find it weird that it's mostly the Sky Sled, not the full Battle Ram, illustrated by Alcala. I really don't know why. Well I get why in Battle in the Clouds since that's a homage to WWII dog fight stories. It could have been an open question on what would actually be greenlit, yes. These were done way in advance of toy production.

[@falleneldor]

19:27 Oooh, I was just digging round the battleramblog for the trillionth time, seams it wasn't Don Gluts idea to add the Spacetime warp I don't think. Check out the document "he-Man storyline direction" you post in full. Its Mattel's reply to Glut submitting his first draft for the 1st story. Scroll down on your "Fighting Foe Men" article covering Donald Glut's earliest contribution to see what I'm referring to. So probably marketing; Paul Cleveland then. I'd imagine those might be his notes I wonder? He's the only executive who's deligating storytelling and artists at this point I think? Roger Sweet is on mechanical side of engineering with the twist waist and probably dictating scale, volumetric size of this and that and not doing alot around this time in 1980/1981. I dont think he had anything to do with that writing... There is another suit who's overseeing something at this stage but I'm blanking on his name at the moment?

[@battleramblog]

@@falleneldor good observations. Could have been Mark Ellis, it was his idea to do mini comics in the first place

[@falleneldor]

@@battleramblog OH RIGHT. The "other Mark!" THANK YOU that's who I was remembering but forgot thier name. Paul Cleveland is the one who ran with the suggestion and approached DC IIRC right?

[@battleramblog]

@@falleneldor According to this the DC people had several meetings with Mark Ellis to hammer out the characters. Paul Cleveland may have been involved too though: i.imgur.com/M8Yw0SS.jpeg

[@falleneldor]

@@battleramblog great point. Which brings to mind the Prince Adam of it too. Shame there's no date on Taylor's "foppish hat" illustration of Prince Adam. Considering that probably around the time mark is working on "sensor" as the DC stories all HEAVILY promote Zodac in mid-late 1982.

[@Beedo_Sookcool]

Cool video! Thank you! Loved the original Battle Ram as a kid. Used to set up my two Horde Troopers at the far end of the rec room and attempt to hit their 'splodey buttons with the battering rams. Great fun! I currently only have the MOTU Classics version, and it's amazing, but I wish the battering rams were more like the originals. (In that they were lighter, flew further, and there were three of them.) I ended up taking the "War Sled" that came with the MOTUC Battle Ram, and repainting it in more appropriate colours -- dark green with metallic green accents, and the dragon side panels were done to match Dragon Blaster Skeletor's little pet.

[@battleramblog]

Thanks very much Beedo! I never had Horde Trooper, but I definitely lined my figures up and shot at them from across the bedroom with the Battle Ram. Regarding the Classics version, I can see that. I wouldn't have minded an extra X-shaped missile like the original prototype. The front half is such a perfect recreation of Rudy Obrero's box art, it's a shame that the back half is not.

[@Beedo_Sookcool]

@battleramblog Yeah, I think that was done to add OOMPH to the look for an impression of extra power, or something. I don't hate it, but it took some getting used to.