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  • #1

    Battle Ram blog thread

    Hi guys,

    If no one minds, I'd like to make a thread just as a means of announcing when I've got a new blog post at Battle Ram - A He-Man Blog

    This is what I have so far:

    Toy Features:

    Skeletor - Lord of Destruction!

    Mer-Man - Ocean Warlord!

    Teela - Warrior Goddess

    Stratos - Winged Warrior

    Battle Cat - Fighting Tiger

    Faker - Evil Robot of Skeletor

    Man-E-Faces - Heroic human…robot…monster!

    Castle Grayskull - Fortress of Mystery and Power

    Panthor - Savage Cat

    Battle Ram - Mobile Launcher

    Wind Raider - Assault Lander


    Other features

    Bat Pak

    Origin of He-Man mini comic

    Masters of the Universe Store Display

    1982 Mattel Toys Dealer Catalog

    1983 Mattel Toys Dealer Catalog

    1984 Mattel Toys Dealer Catalog

    1987 Mattel Toys Dealer Catalog
    Heroic human battering ram, catapult, and space warp device.

    https://battleram.wordpress.com/
    Tags: None
    • 2 likes
  • #2
    Love the blog! Keep up the great work!
    • 1 like

    Comment

  • #3
    Good blog. I expect you could get a lot of mileage out of Zodac--is there a character whose concept has changed so much in the entire mythos? The original license guide makes him sound like Boba Fett, DC and Filmation made him into the Watcher (with a touch of Silver Surfer or Metron) and 200X turned him into a badass kung-fu mystic.
    • 1 like

    Comment

    • Battle Ram Man
      #3.1
      Battle Ram Man commented
      10-29-2015, 11:28 PM
      Editing a comment
      Thanks Matthew. Yeah, I think Zodac will be a fun one. He's ruddy mysterious!
  • #4
    Newest post:

    He-Man – Most Powerful Man in the Universe! (1982)














    Last edited by Battle Ram Man; 10-30-2015, 01:31 PM.
    Heroic human battering ram, catapult, and space warp device.

    https://battleram.wordpress.com/
    • 2 likes

    Comment

    • #5
      Awesome blog!!! Keep up the great work!

      Why not consolidate this as a feature here at the WORLD?
      "If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all." ― Noam Chomsky
      • 1 like

      Comment

      • Battle Ram Man
        #5.1
        Battle Ram Man commented
        10-30-2015, 11:07 PM
        Editing a comment
        Thanks Draego! I haven't been approached about doing that, so it's hard to know how to respond to a hypothetical. It's kind of fun to have my own little blog that I control, though.

        Of course if it were a feature on a real site and not a blog, it would probably take much longer to produce posts. It's probably more important to ask for permission to use people's pictures when it's for a professional site rather than just a private blog. I've got a big collection of images that I use, and I don't always remember where I got them from
        Last edited by Battle Ram Man; 10-30-2015, 11:21 PM.
    • #6
      I've wanted to do JUST THIS for eons now, but i just lack the organizational skills, and the will to follow though required to do so. I have three different versions of a ZodaC/K article all in various stages, all of which lack any sense of completion. Bravo good sir, BRAVO! you've made a WONDERFUL blog chalk full of esoteric bits of information that seams completely accessible to the average low information fan. I love how you are starting from the beginning of the line. I look forward to every future update! Especially your PoG one. When might that be? I'm curious how much time each article took you to complete? I think that if our good Captain wanted to "host" your blog, we can work together to help credit the original uploaded of each image. Though I know that be A HELL of a LOT of work, so i don't blame you for wanting to not be affiliated officially like you say. i just hope nobody asks you to take anything down as this grows in popularity.

      I especially like that ORIGINAL pic of the He-Man proto that mostly circulated now with the "Clan-Leader" watermark. I forget what stage of prototyping that is. I know it's not wax. It's a hand painted casting, that much i know. I forget who purchased that back in 2003/4ish.

      Once upon a time, good advice was "be kind Rewind"now nobody remembers the past.

      Masters of the universe The LOST TALES (a series of vintage style fan-comics and children's books)
      • 1 like

      Comment

      • Battle Ram Man
        #6.1
        Battle Ram Man commented
        10-31-2015, 02:25 PM
        Editing a comment
        Thanks a ton, Shawn. The recent He-Man and Skeletor posts took almost five hours each. Some of the others (Faker, Man-E-Faces) were more like three hours. Usually I take a couple of hours to do an outline one night, and then a couple of hours the next night to put it together with images.

        The dealer catalog posts (mostly pics, low word count) take something like 40 minutes. Usually I end up burning the midnight oil to get the longer posts done. Hopefully I don't get burnt out trying to do those.

        I probably won't get to PoG until much later. I'm plan to finish all the 1982-1983 figure/vehicle features before I go any further. My main interest is in the early years of the MOTU line. Consequently I know a lot more about that than what was going on in 1987/1988.

        A big thing for me for this blog is trying to find the highest resolution images I can, preferably without watermarks. I understand why people use watermarks, but it really bugs me to see them. I want people to have easy access to nice images of the box art, figure pics, prototype pics etc. Those images exist online for most box art, but you have to hunt for them. I really want to get a better image of the Battle Ram box art, though. The best image I have is still low resolution compared to Castle Grayskull, Wind Raider, Battle Cat, etc.

        As far as the "clan leader" He-Man proto goes, I don't know much about it except what I was able to infer about the order it was done in (before the final prototype, after the Mark Taylor B-sheet). I have to rely on the interviews I find, plus some inductive reasoning. My sources are the same that everyone else has access to.
    • #7
      1985 Mattel Dealer Catalog

      https://battleram.wordpress.com/2015...ealer-catalog/
      Heroic human battering ram, catapult, and space warp device.

      https://battleram.wordpress.com/
      • 1 like

      Comment

      • Mechanizor
        #7.1
        Mechanizor commented
        11-10-2015, 06:09 AM
        Editing a comment
        If I saw this when I was a kid, I'd probably have fainted from the excitement!... Something very special about the vintage line like no other!
    • #8
      Keep up the great work Sir BRM. :hemanrocks:
      • 1 like

      Comment

    • #9
      Wow! Awesome blog post. So cool. I could look at these toys all day.

      This makes me really want to start collecting the vintage figures again. I mean I have them all, but my kids play with them. I'd like to get nice pristine ones of everything.

      Looks like I've got a new quest!
      "If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all." ― Noam Chomsky

      Comment

      • Battle Ram Man
        #9.1
        Battle Ram Man commented
        11-10-2015, 10:51 PM
        Editing a comment
        Thanks! Yeah, I've gotten way more into vintage stuff recently. The blog was inspired by that, and it also feeds it. There's something about collecting vintage that you don't get from Classics (as awesome as they are)
    • #10
      Beast Man - Savage Henchman!

      https://battleram.wordpress.com/2015...henchman-1982/
      Heroic human battering ram, catapult, and space warp device.

      https://battleram.wordpress.com/
      • 2 likes

      Comment

      • #11
        Your blog and its info should be a new focal point in MOTU's history. Amazing documentations that should please most hardcore fans and historians alike!

        Comment

        • Battle Ram Man
          #11.1
          Battle Ram Man commented
          11-28-2015, 05:46 PM
          Editing a comment
          Thanks Mech! It's really just an aggregation of information the MOTU community has pieced together over the years with some design analysis and commentary. But I'm glad you like it
      • #12
        Yeah, these are great!!!! Although I wish the ORG wasn't posting them now too... just cuz I hate them.
        "If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all." ― Noam Chomsky

        Comment

        • Battle Ram Man
          #12.1
          Battle Ram Man commented
          12-10-2015, 10:08 PM
          Editing a comment
          Anyone who wants to post links to the blog is more than welcome to it. It's a non-denominational blog
          Last edited by Battle Ram Man; 12-14-2015, 06:53 PM.
      • #13
        Newest post: an interview with Ted Mayer!

        https://battleram.wordpress.com/2015/12/14/ted-mayer/
        Heroic human battering ram, catapult, and space warp device.

        https://battleram.wordpress.com/
        • 2 likes

        Comment

        • Mechanizor
          #13.1
          Mechanizor commented
          12-14-2015, 07:29 PM
          Editing a comment
          Awesome and thank you...
      • #14
        Awesome... great job!
        "If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all." ― Noam Chomsky
        • 1 like

        Comment

      • #15
        An interview with Rudy Obrero:

        https://battleram.wordpress.com/2016...-illustration/
        Heroic human battering ram, catapult, and space warp device.

        https://battleram.wordpress.com/
        • 1 like

        Comment

        • #16
          Great interview!
          "If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all." ― Noam Chomsky
          • 1 like

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        • #17
          An interview with Mark & Rebecca Taylor:

          https://battleram.files.wordpress.co...wamp-thing.jpg
          Heroic human battering ram, catapult, and space warp device.

          https://battleram.wordpress.com/

          Comment

          • #18
            Niiice BRM. Keep them coming.
            • 1 like

            Comment

            • #19
              Correct link is here... https://battleram.wordpress.com/2016...ins-of-he-man/
              "If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all." ― Noam Chomsky
              • 1 like

              Comment

              • Battle Ram Man
                #19.1
                Battle Ram Man commented
                05-10-2016, 11:26 PM
                Editing a comment
                Oops, thanks for catching that!
            • #20
              The Interviews are great. I wonder if Roger Sweet is still willing to be interviewed by fans or if his last encounter soured him to that too much?
              Once upon a time, good advice was "be kind Rewind"now nobody remembers the past.

              Masters of the universe The LOST TALES (a series of vintage style fan-comics and children's books)

              Comment

              • Battle Ram Man
                #20.1
                Battle Ram Man commented
                09-13-2016, 04:11 AM
                Editing a comment
                Thanks Shawn! Regarding Roger Sweet, I'm not sure. I've never attempted to contact him, and haven't seen anything from him lately. By comparison, Mark Taylor has been in the public eye quite a bit, doing interviews, art signing, and working on some books.
              • Shawn
                #20.2
                Shawn commented
                09-27-2016, 05:54 AM
                Editing a comment
                Fair enough. Someday, I'd love for some venue to get them, and all the original creators in a room together, with somebody who's highly skilled at communication to get all that stupid drama smoothed over. They are all He-Dads from one degree to another.
            • #21
              A review of the Mark Taylor Portfolio:

              https://battleram.wordpress.com/2016...ts-collection/
              Heroic human battering ram, catapult, and space warp device.

              https://battleram.wordpress.com/

              Comment

              • #22
                Very good article, BRM! Love how comprehensive it was! Even down to the creation dates!

                Comment

                • Battle Ram Man
                  #22.1
                  Battle Ram Man commented
                  09-21-2016, 07:39 PM
                  Editing a comment
                  Thanks MGM! I was thinking about dates because I've also been working on a general MOTU timeline based on dated concept art
                • Shawn
                  #22.2
                  Shawn commented
                  09-27-2016, 06:05 AM
                  Editing a comment
                  When you do, don't forget to dig through the court documents and summaries for the CPI V Mattel. Handy info found nowhere else like:

                  "In February 1982, Mattel introduced a fantasy character, "He-Ma" as part of its new "Masters of the Universe" toy line of action figures."
                  &
                  "plaintiff alleges that "[a]t the Toy Fair in February 1982, Mattel introduced the `Masters of the Universe' line of action figures, ...." Amended Complaint, ¶ 18. The Toy Fair is "the major national toy show of the year."

                  http://www.leagle.com/decision/19841...0MATTEL,%20INC.

                  http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/...2/353/1475694/

                  Probably some other interesting info in all that as well. Despite what Mattel would want the world to believe, we know from the artists own admission that Conan, and Frazetta where major influences. Granted, one of many.

                  the book "Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Generation" has some additional important dates as well. corroborates some dates, and stories that I think where only verbally expressed before on camera and at conventions. Has a funny story of (I think Lou) at a trade show (Toyfair 1982?) where Arnold schwarzenegger seeing a He-man "doll" and programing "dat iz meh".
                  Last edited by Shawn; 09-27-2016, 06:14 AM.
                • Battle Ram Man
                  #22.3
                  Battle Ram Man commented
                  09-27-2016, 07:36 PM
                  Editing a comment
                  Hey Shawn, that's very helpful, thank you! I really appreciate that February 1982 - a momentous month

                  FYI I responded to your last PM. Thanks!
              • #23
                From an idea that Shawn gave me:

                Invented characters in Rudy Obero’s packaging artwork

                https://battleram.wordpress.com/2016...aging-artwork/

                Heroic human battering ram, catapult, and space warp device.

                https://battleram.wordpress.com/
                • 1 like

                Comment

                • #24
                  Thanks again for your work and dedication. I simply love it.
                  • 1 like

                  Comment

                  • Mechanizor
                    #24.2
                    Mechanizor commented
                    10-04-2016, 04:24 AM
                    Editing a comment
                    Thank you for being who you are BRM, a gentleman and a great blogger!
                  • Battle Ram Man
                    #24.3
                    Battle Ram Man commented
                    10-05-2016, 12:30 AM
                    Editing a comment
                    You're too kind
                  • Mechanizor
                    #24.4
                    Mechanizor commented
                    10-05-2016, 08:35 PM
                    Editing a comment
                    See, a gentleman! Thank again bro...
                • #25

                  MOTU Timeline

                  https://battleram.wordpress.com/2016...ine-1979-1987/




                  1979 – Torak (He-Man) & early Skeletor concept, by Mark Taylor
                  Aug 15, 1979 – Category Management Teams memo
                  May 22, 1980 – Fantasy Make Believe idea disclosure form, Roger Sweet
                  June 11, 1980 – Male Action Figure attributes list
                  September 8, 1980 – Figure Attributes list
                  September 21, 1980 – Space/Monster/Fantasy Figures budgeted hours form, Roger Sweet
                  November 3, 1980 – Megaton Man project request form, Roger Sweet
                  Late November, 1980 – Work started on “He-Man trio”, Roger Sweet with Mark Taylor
                  Mid-December 1980 – He-Man trio presented at Mattel Product Conference
                  December 30, 1980 – He-Man Characters & Accessories idea disclosure form, Roger Sweet

                  .... continued in link
                  Heroic human battering ram, catapult, and space warp device.

                  https://battleram.wordpress.com/
                  • 1 like

                  Comment

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