MOTU Classics' Ram Man...

Ram Man
I have heaps of MOTU Classics figures in my collection since it's been my core collection for the past few years. I started my collection with the now-highly-sought-after-figure Teela way back in 2008 courtesy of a dear blogger friend of mine who bought and posted the figure all the way from New York after discovering that yours truly was struggling with the infamous 'white screen of death' (hardcore MOTUC fans will know just what I'm babbling about here!). I've only wanted the core members of both the good and evil factions i.e. the classic line-up but ended up with a whole lot more while at the same time successfully steering clear of those 'non-essentials' like the Mattel 'Toyguru'/Four Horsemen-created figures and most of the 'concept' figures which is currently rampant within the MOTU classics line-up. Recently I've also realised that I haven't been talking about any of my MOTUC figures since I last reviewed a MOTUC item way back in January 2012....WOW! So I think it's only fitting that I start the ball rolling (again) by looking into one of the core members of the good guys aka every MOTUC fanboys' favourite bulky hero.....Ram Man!


The Rebel's rant

For the record, I paid almost USD60 for this guy here from my normal MOTUC toy-pusher. The main reason that he costs more than any other MOTUC figure is that he's actually listed as USD33 on Matty's page on the day of sale (of course he sold out within milliseconds as usual!). Thankfully my toy-pusher has several subscriptions running so he was able to get his paws on several Rammy to be sold over to his regular slew of customers like yours truly! Matty tried to justify his larger than usual price tag by saying that Ram Man here is larger than the normal MOTUC figures. Whatever Matty. I think most people were pissed off not because of the price slapped on the figure itself but rather on the ludicrous shipping costs to get these figures delivered right in front of their doorsteps. Anyway, I figured that I'd probably go through a sea full of seas serpents to get this figure into my MOTUC collection since Rammy here is a CORE member of the good guys faction. Plus, I never had him when I was a kid which made him a must-have-at-all-cost figure in my list. There are currently no plans from Matty to re-issue him. Many collectors who chose to buy him on sale day failed to do so. So you can more or less guess how much this guy goes in the aftermarket right now.

Packaging

Ram-Man: Heroic Human Battering Ram

Ram-Man: Heroic Human Battering Ram
We get the same-old-same-old packaging again i.e. blister on a card. It does it job well but means nothing to me since I'm not a MOC collector. I'm just glad that the figure arrived safely into my hands thanks to the ever reliable white mailer and the blister packaging itself.

Ram-Man: Heroic Human Battering Ram
What tickles me about these new MOTUC bio is that Matty seems to have come up with 'real names' of the characters. We've heard that Hordak's real name was Hector, Tri-Klops' was Trydor Esooniux Scope (what the....?!), Snout Spout's was Jaxton, so on  so forth. And now, we have the pleasure to discover that Ram Man's real name is.....well...Krass. Wow. Just wow. Who's in charge of giving 'names' at Matty I wonder?

On with the figure!

Ram Man: Heroic Human Battering Ram!

Ram Man: Heroic Human Battering Ram!
Once you've released him from his plastic cell, you'll immediately realise why he's a tad pricier than the rest of his MOTUC buddies. He's one huge bulk of plastic....well, sideways for sure coz he's not THAT much taller in terms of height. Once again, I gotta profess my love for them bulky action figures. I dunno, I think it gives you that sense of 'I'm getting my money's worth here!'. But really, large action figures look good in an 'otherwise similar sized' character line-up.

Ram Man
Well, he's not THAT much taller than them regular guys anyway. In fact he looks a tad shorter than He-Man.  But he is 'large' judging by the amount of plastic required to make him compared to the rest of the regular MOTUCs. Thank God Matty made him that way...coz there was an initial scare that they might not made a bulkier/new sculpt for him. It's interesting to see if Matty will re-use the body sculpt for any future 'big-sized' characters. Heck, I can't even recall any other 'large' characters from the Filmation series. I could be wrong though. Some of you might remember better.

Ram Man: Heroic Human Battering Ram!
His head sculpt is a real winner here. The Four Horsemen perfectly captured his mean-lookin' portrait although I honestly think that they could've given him 'real' eyes instead of eye-slits....LOL. Not complaining much since that's how he looked like in the mini-comic I think. Squinty eyes work fine for me.

Ram Man: Heroic Human Battering Ram!
Remember that 80s figure where  you'd get to play with his spring-loaded legs? Man that was something. Sure it meant that Mattel had to sacrifice his ability to walk but who doesn't want a MOTU figure that bounces around Eternia bashing bad guys? Sweeeeet! Well, you don't exactly get that with this modern incarnation of Rammy over here. I must say, I am pretty glad that Matty made this new one without that spring-loaded action feature. After all, this IS a collector line. I'd prefer a fully 'functional' Ram Man that can walk anytime over an 'action-feature/spring-loaded' version.

Ram Man: Heroic Human Battering Ram!
What I love most about Ram Man here is that Matty had given us TWO heads i.e. helmeted and the un-helmeted ones. While the 80s counterpart never came with the un-helmeted version, this new Ram Man gives us an indication of how he looks like and his hair-style underneath that helmet. Thank you Matty! I think we're getting our money's worth here. It almost makes me forget the fact that I've spent almost 60 bucks to get this figure on my display shelf....almost.

Ram Man: Heroic Human Battering Ram!

Ram Man: Heroic Human Battering Ram!

I love that 'skull' belt by the way. This figure is a faithful reproduction of its 80s counterpart without any of the 200x elements.....excellent! Don't get me wrong, the 200x series was a good one but when it comes to my beloved MOTUC figures I prefer 'em pure and free from the modern series' interventions. Your preferences may vary though. Some of you might prefer a mash-up between the classics & the 200x series. I gotta admit, Fisto for example, looks good with accessories from the 200x series ('cept for the 'diaper-like' loin cloth thingy).

Ram Man: Heroic Human Battering Ram!
I like that most of the MOTUC figures came with a slot to place their weapons into. Rammy here is no exception. His battle-axe can be nicely snapped into place on his back. Doesn't it pisses you off when you see action figures that can't store their own accessories?

Ram Man: Heroic Human Battering Ram!
The first time I saw his legs, I couldn't even find his knee joints. It's pretty well hidden by the bumpy designs of his....errr...pants. But they're there alright. Another brilliant piece of toy-engineering by the Four Horsemen. Kudos!

Ram Man: Heroic Human Battering Ram!
Here are some pics of him with his helmet off. I dunno. It's just not the look for me. Nice gesture by Matty to include this but my Rammy's staying put on my shelf with his helmet on.

Ram Man: Heroic Human Battering Ram!

Ram Man: Heroic Human Battering Ram!

Ram Man: Heroic Human Battering Ram!

This figure has excellent paint job save for a few paint slob here and there. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones since I've heard some collectors receive theirs with a blotchy paint job. The metallic paint really made the armour look like its made of metal.

Ram Man

THE REBEL'S VERDICT: Rammy here is a MUST-HAVE for all you crazy hardcore MOTU classic fans. I can't imagine your collection ever being complete without this guy here. When a MOTU fan browses through your collection, chances are he's gonna ask you..."Where's Ram Man by the way??". He's obviously sold out through Matty so your best bet now (notwithstanding any future re-issues) is to get him through eBay and such. Knowing Matty, they're pretty inconsistent and one should never take their 'word' by heart. Remember Teela? Yup, we never got a re-issue since the figure's (one and only) release way back in '09. I'd say hunt for Ram Man at all cost if you ever wanna see a complete MOTU Classics ensemble in your display shelves.

Scroll down for a couple more pictures before I sign off!

Ram Man

Ram Man & gang...

Comments

A damn cool figure
Very difficult to get at a reasonable price...
The Rebel said…
Yup Adrian....crazy how these MOTU Classics have risen up in price. Oh how Matty has alienate its fan base!