Name: Hoist
Allegiance: Autobots
Function: Maintenance
Timeline: Generation 1
You have to be rolling before you can be fighting.
Profile:
While Ratchet is the 'bot you want to see for serious damage, for everyday maintenance, aches and pains, Hoist is the go-to Autobot. A cross between a medical general practitioner, engineer and mechanic, there's no strut or spar that Hoist cannot fix, and no illness that he cannot diagnose. Not only is Hoist extremely knowledgeable and talented, but he is also a very positive and cheerful individual, with an easy bedside manner. Hoist is often upbeat and of good cheer, which helps to put other 'bots around him at ease. Hoist is in charge of the day-to-day maintenance of the Autobot forces, and maintains a strict schedule. So strict, in fact, that he absolutely insists every Autobot attend regular check-ups. Hoist accepts no excuse for missing a maintenance session - even Optimus Prime is expected to attend his appointments on time. Hoist is strict for a very good reason - he knows the consequences that would follow if the Autobots were not functioning at peak efficiency during a mission. Fortunately, Hoist's good attitude and the fact he genuinely enjoys what he does means many Autobots are happy to submit to Hoist's schedule, plus the fact he is so exceptionally good at what he does means his comrades are confident that Hoist will have them in tip-top shape for their next encounter with the Decepticons.
Tow Truck mode:
Author notes:
I'd really wanted to work in a reference to Hoist's friendship with Grapple in this bio, but as I was writing about Hoist through the lens of his role as a medic, I focused more on the maintenance side of his character. I did drop in a line about how Hoist is a cross between a GP, an engineer and a mechanic, which is a partial reference to Hoist's role as one of Grapple's frequent collaborators, as well as a call back to Optimus Prime's Marvel profile, which used a similar form of words. It seemed appropriate to use that idea for Hoist. It's worth saying while those three professions make Hoist sound insanely talented, on Cybertron all three are liable to be pretty much the same sort of thing; or at least, there is a lot more inter-disciplinary crossover between the professions than you'd see in our world.
Toys of Transformers Generation 1 Hoist
Transformers Earthrise Hoist
After revisiting Generations Hoist recently, I realised that for how much I liked that toy, it just didn't feel like Hoist to me. Fortunately, I was able to track down Earthrise Hoist for retail.
I'd originally passed on Earthrise Hoist because I didn't like the way the sides of the truck mode hang off the arms. That still applies - I don't like that part of the design, nor the way that swinging the arm forward at the shoulders brings those panels forward. It's an aesthetic that well and truly doesn't appeal to me, but on the positive, it doesn't look as bad in person as I thought it might, and on balance, Hoist isn't a guy who spends a lot of time in fistfights. And what Earthrise Hoist has in his favour is an absolutely spot-on look to the original design. He's got the wings on his back, he's got the belly, he outright nails the chubby look that I associate with the original Hoist. He's essentially a perfect likeness to the original, albeit one that sticks a bit too closely to the original toy with those side panels.
Plus, a positive of the Earthrise Hoist is that he has an accessory that goes over his hand to replicate the look of the welder / gun hand of Generation 1 Hoist. It's a great touch that plays to Hoist's animation model and it gives the mold a lot of character. I'm very happy with how this mold came out in the end, and I'm glad that I got him before he became too difficult to track down.
More information on Transformers Earthrise Hoist at TFW2005
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Transformers Earthrise toys in my collection.
Transformers Generations Hoist
The Generations Hoist figure is a handsome release from the Dark Cybertron / Thrilling 30 lineup. He's a lovely solid toy who feels a lot like an action figure, and has this nice athletic build. He's a great updated take on Hoist, but there's a couple of minus points on the design. One of those points is the lack of Hoist's orange "wings", which to me are defining features of Hoist's design. A second is that this version of Hoist feels a little too buff. The original Hoist had the lower torso formed by the front of the truck, which gave Hoist a bit of a belly. On this version, the top part of the truck is moved higher up, forming more of the chest and shoulders, which makes Hoist look a little less fat. Unfortunately, losing these two design aspects does sacrifice a bit of what made Hoist's original design so unique and interesting.
More information on Transformers Generations Hoist at TFW2005
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Transformers Generations toys in my collection.
