The folks over at The Allspark have posted a major find for fans of Transformers history and unproduced figures. In partnership with Robotic Planet Toys on Instagram they have posted gorgeous scans from a McDonalds concept binder from 1995! Featured are several proposed toy concepts for the Happy Meal set that would eventually include Beetle, Manta Ray, Panther, Rhino and the infamous "Lion Head" Optimus!
The binder reveals some of the thinking that occurred before the "Beast Wars" name was coined. Indeed, the binder still uses the Generation 2 logo and it is clear that Optimus Prime and Megatron are meant to be their G1 selves in new bodies. This was partially carried over early on in the Beast Wars toy line until the TV show set up Optimus and Megatron as new characters. Also interesting is the reveal of the feline Cheetor/Panther design as a new body for Prowl, something that helps explain his rather Prowl-esque head design. Other awesome reveals include the Auto Roller concept being considered for beast modes and Megatron and Optimus in various forms including a "Dragonfly Megatron" and "Manta Ray Optimus Prime" (which would eventually become the Manta Ray McDonalds toy!).
I have embedded select images from Robotic Planet Toys on Instagram below instead of mirroring out of respect for both the Allspark and Robotic Planet Toys. Also be sure to check out The Allspark for all the images!