Well, I have been going through all the cobra ranks trying to figure out what figures fit, what figures don't, and what to do with those that do. Most of my collection will be RAH, with the exception of B.A.T.s which don't need to fit the standard buck. So what to do with all those B.A.T. variations? Well this is what I have done. (images courtesy of yojoe.com)

1st Generation
BAT 1.0- This is the first generation BAT. It first saw field operation in 1986, and was used until its replacement, BAT 2.1, became operational in 2003.


2nd Generation
Prototyping on the second generation BATs started in 1991, however the production (version BAT 2.1) did not see the battlefield until 2003.


3rd Generation
In 2002, prototyping began on BAT 3.0. It was to be the first BAT without hand attachments. This was scratched in favor of attachments on version 3.0.1


The first production version was BAT 3.1


The BAT 3.2 integrated firmware upgrades that fix IFF module malfunctions. Version 3.2.1 was an experimental version using gold wiring upgrades, but proved to be too expensive to continue. Version 3.2.2 contains all the upgrades of 3.1.1, but without the gold wiring


The final 3rd generation BAT is version 3.3. It's firmware has been upgraded to function properly with the newly created BAT 4.2


4th Generation
2004 marked the beginning of the fourth generation. Version 4 features dual interchangeable limbs for the first time. The fourth generation went through two prototypes, 4.0 and 4.1, before the 4.2 became operational.


5th Generation
2005 marked the beginning of the fifth generation. These (B.A.T. 2005, v16) are commonly referred to as Sky B.A.T.s due to their propulsion backpacks.



I left BAAT v1, Inferno BAT v1, and BATs v10 & 11 off the list. I figured v10 & 11 could also be Inferno BATs due to their colors.

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You need an award for making all the variations make sense.

So where does Overkill fit into all this mess? And would the first Inferno BATs qualify as version 2.1.1?

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Overkill, in my Joeverse, is not a cyborg. I am going with the original filecard. The new sculpt Over Kill is a different character all together. Overkills are my battlefield android commanders, or battlefield routers. They are controlled via satellite by Cyber-Vipers.

Inferno BATs, or iBATs, well I'm not sure how they fit at this point. There file cards don't really help very much. They explain there colors as being red hot because they have been shot so many times.

I may use them as a "cleanup" crew type of BAT. A BAT that uses highly unstable energy sources. They are the last wave of androids in, and typically have mini-nuclear explosions upon destruction, clearing the battlefield of anyone or anything that could be left. Almost kamikaze or suicide bomber style.

BAATs are going to be my Heavy Weapons BATs.

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Cool Idea.

I agree with Overkill V3 being a complete android rather than a cyborg.

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Very interesting! You've put a lot of thought and work into this.

If I may ask, where do you place the 25th-style B.A.T. into this? Or do you consider him identical to the original B.A.T. as such?

(For my money, the 25th B.A.T. is akin to that Battle Android Trooper that went berserk in the Devil's Due comic and caused so much grief for the Joes and the Dreadnoks).

And where would you place the Resolute B.A.T.?

(I'm still looking for a couple more of those myself)

Anyway, very impressive work here! Nicely done!

Great question. To me, since the 25th BAT is a tribute to the original, it'll stay separate. The usage of him as the DD BAT is cool though.

I think I'm leaving out anything 25th style because the construction and articulation is different than that of RAH, JvC, Spytroops, and VvV.

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