"In 1987 the first Transformer spin-off was introduced both in japan and in the US. A new race of aliens was introduced to the transformer univers in episode five of the JP Headmaster series. these characters resemble humanoid versions of earth animals and wore armored suits. They live on the planet Beast. [skipping a bunch...] Battle Beasts were never properly introudced into the Transformer universe since by the time they were released the Transformers television show had been canceled [in the US], and the Battle Beast toyline only generated one short-lived comic book series produced by Blackthorne Publishing. Despite the lack of promotion through the comic book and television tie ins, the toy series did well enough to generate a second series of figures."
--David Kolodny-Nagy, Transformers: Botcon '94 Ten Year Retrospective
For years, by the way, this book was often my only glimpse into existence of toys I didn't have. Tantalizing scans of promotional imaging for JP only toys, text-only list of the US G1, and the misguided notion that Wheeljack was a Maserati (dad corrected this blasphemy when it eventually came up in conversation)
We knew so little back then
