5 Quick Facts about the Battle Ram

As the title suggests, this is not a comprehensive history, just some "quick facts!"

For more background on the Battle Ram, see:

Images: Battle Ram Blog, Ted Mayer, The Power and the Honor Foundation, Rebecca Salari Taylor, Jukka Issakainen, Michael Jay. Special thanks to Matt Joswiak for additional information.

Thank you to the following individuals who are current Patreon supporters!

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tupalev

#MOTU #MastersoftheUniverse #CastleGrayskull #CastleGrayskullprototype

[MK-MephistoKevin]

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.

[theoutsider]

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

[josephk]

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.

[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.

[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 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]

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?

[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?

[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.