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Series: Generation 1 Encore
Allegiance: Cybertron
Categories: Autobot Car
Year: 2008 (original from 1985)
You have to be rolling before you can be fighting.
"No exceptions!" -- All Autobots must submit to his maintenance schedule... knows they must operate at peak efficiency in battle. Jovial, enjoys job and is good at it -- will find any problem, from engine overhaul to smallest leaky gasket. As tow truck, hauls 40,000 lbs. As robot, very strong -- launches heat-seeking missiles from wrist sockets. Full spectrum multi-sensor behind his head determines an objects' composistion, density, tensile strength, energy properties.
Remarks: Hoist is an extensive retool of Trailbreaker, so look for the full review there. Just some words on the differences. Apart from the difference in colour - green and orange where Trailbreaker was mostly black - Hoist also features a different head in robot mode (though the Mexican version simply had Trailbreaker's head repainted green) and a different rear assembly in vehicle mode. Where Trailbreaker had a camper compartment on the back of his truck mode, Hoist is reconfigured as a towing truck, sporting an orange plastic towing assembly, which can actually be ussed to tow other cars (such as Trailbreaker, see picture above).
The orange towing assembly isn't the most stable thing in the world, consisting of several parts that are connected but very loosely, but it still works overall and looks nice in both modes. The figure itself is quite good for its time, posability is above-average and it just looks pretty good overall. No real complaints except the abundance of extra parts one can easily lose.
Hoist had but really significant appearance in the G1 cartoon series in the episode "The Master Builders", where he and Grapple were fooled by the Constructicons into building the Solar Power Tower, which could draw massive amounts of energy from sunlight. Hoist and Grapple ended up buried for their troubles and were punished by having to clean up the rubble of the destroyed tower. Hoist also appeared in numerous other episodes in Season 2, but only in the background. Same goes for his comic book appearances.
Overall Hoist is a pretty good figure, just like Trailbreaker. Not one of the all-time classics and not the most prolific character in Transformers history, either, but a good, solid figure. So all old-school Transformers fans should use the chance given by the Encore series to grab one.
Rating: B+
Please note: I've been advised that I forgot Hoist's second significant appearance in the episode "Hoist goes to Hollywood". Guess I blocked out that horrible episode. Wonder why? Anyway, thanks to Sam for mentioning it.
Second Note: Tobias H. aka Desastron remembers that Mexico-Hoist, the one with the green Trailbreaker head, was available in Germany, too. So let's call him a German-Mexican Co-Production.
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