Smokescreen (Armada)

The name or term "Smokescreen" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Smokescreen (disambiguation).

The name or term "Hoist" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Hoist (disambiguation).

Smokescreen is an Autobot from the Armada portion of the Unicron Trilogy continuity family. He took the name "Hoist" upon receiving a new body.

Wanna be my friend? I have to smash you with this first.

Few Autobots are as tough and steadfast as Smokescreen. He doesn't believe in giving up, and he's ready to lay down his life to defend the weak, be they Autobot, Mini-Con or human. Though he's ironheaded and unshakable in battle, showing no mercy to the Decepticons, around the base is another matter entirely. He's a kind, friendly bot who always seems to have a good word or good-natured joke ready.

Japanese name: Grap

Fiction

Dreamwave comics continuity

Armada

A million years ago, Smokescreen and Scavenger were guarding the entrance to Autobase: Cybertron when Hot Shot barged in, demanding to know where Optimus Prime. Smokescreen informed him that Prime was in the satellite room and asked if anything was wrong. All Hot Shot would say was that wrong doesn't begin to describe the situation. Dreamwave Armada issue 1 What had happened was that a group of renegade cybertronians calling themselves "Decepticons" were attacking Mini-Con villages]] and capturing the inhabitants for some reason. While sifting through the rubble of of Village C-52, Smokescreen lost his temper at the plight of the "poor little guys" and couldn't wait to get his hands on these Decepticon aggressors. Unfortunately, he got his wish when the Decepticon leader, Megatron attacked Cyber City, with his captured Mini-Cons re-engineered to powerlink with bulks, providing them great power. The Autobots were beaten up and forced to retreat. Dreamwave Armada issue 2

For a million years the civil war raged on, the once-proud Autobots struggled to defend themselves against the powerful, Mini-Con augmented Decepticons, who were in possession of Cybertron's only remaining Mini-Cons, the others having escaped at the beginning of the conflict. Hope came in the form of a Mini-Con Reactivation Signal sent from a distant world called Earth and the Autobots resolved to go there and fight for Truth, Justice and Freedom. Almost immediately after arriving on Earth, Smokescreen was destroying public property and suggesting that they simply smash their way across the planet to find the Mini-Cons, a plan that Scavenger agreed to, as Cybertron was their priority. This callous attitudeearned them both a sharp, furious rebuke from Optimus Prime, who refused to stoop down to the level of the Decepticons. However, he also understood their frustration, telling them to save their anger for the Decepticons. Smokescreen apologised, as he was just longing for things to go back to the way they were before. Dreamwave Armada issue 4 Unfortunately for the Autobots, the Decepticons had already arrived and were chasing after Sparkplug's group of Mini-Cons and their human friends, Rad, Carlos and Alexis. While Optimus Prime kept Megatron distracted by trash talking the Decepticon's failure to defeat the Autobots with all of their power, Smokescreen snuck up and demolished the cliff face Megatron was perched upon with his head. This only succeeded in infuriating Megatron, who eventually got the upper hand in his fight with Prime when he powerlinked with all of the Decepticon Mini-Cons. Smokescreen tried to assist, only to have Prime thrown into him for his trouble. As things looked grim, Jolt's group of Mini-Cons arrived and powerlinked with the Autobots. Liftor linked with Smokescreen, giving him a mighty shoulder-mounted cannon. At a tactical disadvantage, the Decepticons were forced to flee. Dreamwave Armada issue 5

Smokescreen and Scavenger were went to the desert southwest to investigate Decepticon activity there. They received orders from Optimus Prime to attack and destroy the rocket the Decepticons were planning to launch... about a minute after they'd launched it.

File:Smokescreen ut.jpg

Smokescreen sure knows how to kill a conversation.

When Megatron and the Decepticons attacked the Autobot: Earth shortly after the disappearance of Optimus Prime, Smokescreen and Scavenger were the front-line defense sent to buy time. They were run off the narrow road they were on by Demolishor, and Smokescreen got blasted in the chest by Megatron's cannon at point-blank range. Worlds Collide, Part 2

Though the blast didn't kill him, it left him in critical condition. He was taken to the Autobase on Cybertron for extensive repairs. During the final battle against Unicron, Hot Shot, Scavenger and Red Alert blasted Megatron into the Chaos Bringer to avenge Smokescreen. The End

Energon

Ten years later, Smokescreen returned to action with a new body and a new name, "Hoist". When thousands of Terrorcon clones attacked four Earth cities, Hoist was dispatched to handle the Divebomb clones invading Toronto as part of Hot Shot's unit. Multiplicity, Pt. 2

Cartoon continuity

Armada

Voice Actor: Dale Wilson (English), Katsuhisa Hōki (Japanese), Gerhard Acktun (German), Håkan Skoog (Swedish)

Smokescreen was first encountered by the kids in a semi-abandoned subway complex, while they were helping the Autobots search for the Mini-Con Drill Bit. For some reason, Smokescreen did not make verbal contact with the humans, and instead decided to chase after them menacingly in vehicle mode, almost killing them with his crane hook. Only after the mission failed with Cyclonus securing Drill Bit did Smokescreen reveal himself, apologizing for scaring the children. Underground

Say hello to my little friend?

Smokescreen went on to serve as a reliable and capable member of the Autobot team. In particular, his skills as a sniper through the use of his Powerlinx crane cannon were much valued for their ability to hit Decepticon aerial threats accurately most of the time. However, when the Race Mini-Con Team were recovered and formed the Skyboom Shield, Smokescreen was regularly assigned as being its wielder, changing his role in the unit from sniper to defender. Often, he would launch the Skyboom from his crane arm to his Autobot allies facing Megatron directly. Tactician

When Optimus Prime's old friend and informant Scavenger joined the Autobots, Smokescreen was the most vocal in voicing his distrust of Scavenger, whom he labeled a no-good traitor, and his overall dissatisfaction over Optimus's trust in the turncoat. He tried to convince fellow Autobots Red Alert and Hot Shot about Scavenger's alleged duplicity and lack of resolve during a battle. However, Scavenger's absence for the majority of the battle was due to a plan that only he, Optimus and Red Alert were privy to, and when Scavenger's involvement proved vital to the subsequent victory, all doubts Smokescreen had as to his teammate's loyalty were erased, forcing him to make an apology. Trust

When the awesome power of the Requiem Blaster was demonstrated, the Decepticons launched an all-out attack on the Autobot Base in a bid to seize the Space Mini-Con Team, who formed the weapon. Smokescreen was left alone in the base to guard the Mini-Cons while the rest of the Autobots counter-attacked their enemies. Unfortunately, Megatron created a diversion and broke into the base and wounded Smokescreen just as the Autobots realised they had been outmaneuvered and rushed back inside. As Megatron gloated and prepared to fire his new Mini-Con superweapon at the Autobots, Smokescreen used his towline to pull the Requiem Blaster's barrel away from his friends, toward himself, only for Megatron to fire it at point-blank range.

The terrible beam cut straight through Smokescreen, burying him into a wall, to the shock of everybody, including Megatron. Megatron then turned to Optimus Prime, intending to finish what he started, but Smokescreen staggered out of the hole and collapsed to his knees, his outer shell melting off its frame. As the dying Autobot reached out to the Decepticon leader, Thrust suggested that they retreat, and Megatron agreed. Smokescreen collapsed into a heap as Megatron warped away.

Optimus Prime cradled his soldier, who reported his failure to protect the Mini-Cons and went into stasis lock. Optimus Prime led the distressed Autobots into a military salute for their fallen comrade, before letting out a cry of anguish. Sacrifice

Red Alert rebuilt Smokescreen in a new body, and he returned just in time to stop Hot Shot and the recently defected Starscream from killing each other. He basically chucked boulders at them. Regeneration

Universe comics

A presumably alternate-universe incarnation of Smokescreen is shown in a death-duel with a presumably alternate-universe incarnation of Generation 1 Smokescreen within the Cauldron arena. Both robots' minds corrupted by Unicron, crane-Smokescreen killed car-Smokescreen, gaining in power, while Unicron fed on the defeated robot's released spark. Abduction

It is possible that this Smokescreen would have turned out to be Universe Smokescreen had the comic series continued.

Toys

Armada

"Hi, kids! Sorry for chasing you menacingly in the abandoned subway and almost killing you for no apparent reason."

• Smokescreen with Liftor (Deluxe, 2002)
  • Japanese ID number: MC-04
  • Accessories: Missile

Smokescreen transforms into a heavy Cybertronic truck with a large crane boom and tow-cable. Flipping a switch on his back end connects the tow-cable spool to his rear axle, reeling in the cable as he rolls in vehicle mode. Attaching a Mini-Con to the Powerlinx plug on his crane boom allows it to extend and unfold to almost three times its original length, forming a huge spring-loaded missile launcher. He comes with the Mini-Con Liftor.

This toy proved to be one of the biggest shelfwarmers of the entire Armada line, with some lingering on pegs well into Energon's run.

This mold was also used to make Universe Smokescreen.

• More info on Smokescreen at TFU.info

• Grap w/ Lift and Race Microns (Multi-pack, 2003)
  • Japanese ID number: MS-02
  • Accessories: Missile

In Japan, Smokescreen was available both as an individual and in a multi-pack with the Race Mini-Con Team. All of the toys in the set were identical to their individual releases.

• Smokescreen (Happy Meal, 2002)

One of eight McDonald's Happy Meal Armada promotional toys, Smokescreen is an extremely simplified version of the Armada toy, transforming into a crane-truck. He features a "battle damage" gimmick where hitting a button on his front grill makes his crane-boom pop off, a gimmick similar to Happy Meal Demolishor.

• More info on McDonald's Smokescreen at TFU.info

"Back and better than ever! You can keep calling me Smokescreen until somebody remembers I'm Hoist!"

• Hoist with Refute (Deluxe, 2003)
  • Japanese ID number: MC-11

Smokescreen returned in a new body with the name "Hoist", transforming into a Cybertronic excavator, with a new Mini-Con partner Refute (who, in Japan, was just the upgraded form of Liftor). Plugging a Mini-Con onto his right arm unlocks his shovel-arm punch attack. The feature remains unlocked until the block is manually returned to its latched position.

The Takara version had a fairly significant color difference from the Hasbro version, replacing his dark brown plastic with a swirled, semi-translucent gunmetal.

The same mold (with the molded Autobot sigil replaced by a smooth block for a sigil tampograph) is used by Universe Ransack. A heavily-retooled version of the mold is used by Cybertron Longrack and BotCon 2006's Darksyde Dinobot.

• More info on Hoist at TFU.info

• Grap Supermode w/ Spark Lift and Adventure Microns (Multi-pack, 2003)
  • Japanese ID number: MS-07

In Japan, Hoist was available both separately and in a multi-pack with the Adventure Mini-Con Team. All of the toys in the set were identical to their individual releases.

• Smokescreen w/ Liftor (Built to Rule, 2003)
  • Accessories: Missile

One of the smaller-scale Built to Rule sets, Smokescreen can be built from a truck-crane sorta resembling the original toy into a robot mode. His crane-arm contains a spring-loaded missile launcher. He came with a building-brick version of Liftor.

• More info on Built to Rule Smokescreen at TFU.info

Merchandise

A soft-plastic PVC of Smokescreen was made for Act 10 of the Takara Super Collection Figure line in 2003. It came in both full-color and pewter-finish versions, one each per case of twelve.

Trivia

• It is believed that the Hoist mold was originally planned to have a gear system that would activate gear-driven Mini-Con gimmicks (like those of Refute and the Adventure Mini-Con Team) when his shovel rod was pushed. This is supported by the gear gimmick on Refute, who is too big to fit onto Cyclonus. This is further evidenced on Hoist's card art, wherein the Mini-Con peg is missing from his left shoulder, with a Cyclonus-styled "clip" drawn where the peg would normally be on the finished toy. Oddly, the left arm was not the one with a gimmick.

• It is also believed that the Hoist mold was originally designed to be a separate character, but was changed to become a new Smokescreen body at the behest of Takara. Official confirmation or denial of this has not yet been obtained, however.

• The "S.D. 74" on the Hasbro version of the Hoist mold is an in-joke, according to Aaron Archer. He has pointedly and repeatedly refused to explain the joke, so its meaning remains a mystery. However, an explanation of sorts was offered at BotCon 2008: The marking evidently originates from an incident at the San Diego Comic Con involving an unfortunate mix of Hasbro employees, alcohol, and a construction crane. Whatever happened, apparently the Petco Park stadium was nearly not built because of it. Yowza. (How the 74 relates to this, exactly, remains uncertain.)