Hoist (G1)

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

Hoist is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family.

If you get shot, I'll patch you up and give you a lithium lollipop!

If Ratchet is the Autobots' chief surgeon, then Hoist is their family doctor. Everyone reports to Hoist for routine check-ups and maintenance, no exceptions! A jovial, friendly robot, the up-beat Hoist enjoys his job and it shows. He speaks with a cultured British-sounding accent and can usually be found playing "Dr. Watson" to his friend Grapple's troubled artist in his off-hours.

You know why you can't get a handle on me? Because I'm an ordinary person. I'm normal. I'm just a mid-ranking maintenance engineer who takes each day as it comes. I'm not particularly chatty, handsome or clever, but you know what? I get by. I manage. So don't dismiss me just because—unlike all your pals on the Lost Light—my personality isn't the product of a crippling psychological disorder. Hoist, "The Waiting Game"

Fiction

Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Transformers cartoon

Voice actor: Michael Chain (English), Kōki Kataoka (Japanese), Yoku Shioya (Japanese, "Triple Takeover"), Li Danqing (Chinese), Roberto Alexander (Latin American)

All I know is that my gut says maybe.

Hoist was among those at Autobot headquarters when the Dinobots attempted to show off how civilized they'd become. During the ensuing destruction, he watched Red Alert and Inferno rush to put out the fires. Dinobot Island, Part 1

Hoist and Grapple proposed the construction of an enormous Solar Power Tower to Optimus Prime, even showing him a darling little functioning model. Prime rejected the idea, and Hoist tried to console his friend, but Grapple was determined to find some way to build it. They encountered the Constructicons, who claimed to have left Megatron's cause and wanted to help them construct the tower. Though Hoist worried that it was a trick, he and Grapple let the Decepticons help them build the tower, at which point Megatron turned up and had the pair of them sealed into a sheet of metal and installed in the tower. It wasn't until after the other Autobots had demolished the tower that Hoist and Grapple were broken out of their improvised prison. Hoist assured Grapple that there would be other towers to build. The Master Builders

"My claw always drops the rock too soon. This game is rigged!"

Hoist was present for the first demonstration of the Negavator. When Soundwave attacked the bunker and trapped the Autobots inside, Hoist and Grapple cleared the entrance so they could retaliate. As Hoist surveyed the damage, he heard Red Alert calling out and dug the security officer out from under some rubble. Hoist began to drive the Negavator back to headquarters with an Autobot escort, but the Decepticons made another attempt to grab the weapon, and this time Hoist and Grapple were forced to dig Optimus and Ironhide out from a rock slide. The Autobots realized something was wrong with Red Alert, but lost him on the city streets. Hoist drove the Negavator back to the bunker, and eventually, Red Alert turned up again. Auto Berserk

When Megatron located the Heart of Cybertron, Hoist was among the Autobots who traveled to South America to stop him obtaining the artifact. Unfortunately, they were too late, and they received a pounding courtesy of the powers granted to the Decepticon leader. They returned to base in a rather battered condition. Microbots Along with the rest of the Autobots, Hoist was banished from Earth on a spaceship after Megatron framed the Autobots using a faked video recording. Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1 Though the spaceship was locked on course for the Sun, the Autobots were able to abandon it and, with the help of Cosmos and one of Trailbreaker's force fields, return to Earth. There they fought back against the Decepticons and freed the enslaved humans. Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2

"Oh, I sing whenever I sing whenever I..."

Following a disastrous battle at an airport, Hoist, Red Alert and Inferno turned up to drag the damaged Dinobots back to base for repairs. No sooner were said repairs done than the Dinobots up and left. Hoist was on the subsequent mission during which the effects of cybertonium depletion became apparent, but like the other Autobots, he managed to limp back to base, where he remained until fresh cybertonium could be fetched. Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1 Blaster's loud music resulted in Hoist being too late to prevent the theft of the Voltronic Galaxer. Megatron subsequently used the device to jam radio transmissions across the planet, and Hoist, Prowl, Ratchet and Trailbreaker had to help a bunch of snowed-in motorists. Hoist caught one hapless fellow whose car plunged off a cliff. Blaster Blues

During a spot of gosh and bother with some frightfully rambunctious ruffians, Hoist and Warpath were transported backwards in time to medieval England. The trio encountered Nimue and her father, Sir Aetheling the Red, who were holding a jousting match. Hoist whipped up a suit of armor for Spike Witwicky so he could take part, but the Decepticons abducted Nimue during the tournament, and the Autobots were too low on energy to catch up. Sir Aetheling led an assault on Wigend du Blackthorne's castle, and Hoist acted variously as a bridge across the castle moat and a siege ladder, until both he and Warpath were exhausted of energy and unable to fight on. The wizard Beorht gave them a boost of energy, and the two Autobots breached the castle wall, pretty much ending the feud. With more help from the wizard, they were able to return to the nineteen-eighties. A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court

Oh, Primus, not another traffic jam—I'm in a hurry for the audition!

He also drove the lorry Huffer once (how he fit in the cab is perhaps a question best left unasked), and he was jolly well cross at a ghastly traffic jam. Of course, being a tow truck, he could just get out and tow the broken-down car away. Make Tracks

Hoist and Grapple had their mitts full with repair work after the Autobots suffered frightful injuries against the fully fed Insecticons. At least he got to spend some time with Skids. (That poor boy does seem to vanish ever so often.) Hoist later went along with Prime's rescue party to recover Cosmos and the robotic insecticide he recovered to deal with those awful creatures. The poor chap was in bad shape, so Hoist offered to give him the best overhaul he ever had. Cheers to that, old bean! Quest for Survival

As Megatron unleashed the dreadful little Kremzeek on the Autobots, Hoist and Jazz were the first to be overloaded by the beastly thing. Kremzeek! After Blitzwing began randomly bombing a US city, Hoist rescued another motorist when a suspension bridge was struck. He and Smokescreen were guided through a Constructicon-built maze by Powerglide, allowing them to recover some of their comrades who'd been built into a sort of throne. Hoist had them all fixed in no time. Triple Takeover Following an unsuccessful search for some missing Autobots, Hoist was at Headquarters when Cosmos finally located their friends, being held captive by big game hunter Lord Chumley. Prime Target

There were script problems from day one.

Following these misadventures, Hoist was out taking a drive with Spike and Carly when they witnessed a couple of cars crashing. Little did they know that it was a movie stunt, and Hoist's daring rescue landed him a role in the film. Unfortunately, a number of the other Autobots decided this was a great idea and joined in too. Hoist was mortified by his fellow Autobots and the fact that the director kept referring to him as "Moist", but took part in filming anyway. Before long, the director decided to rethink the script and instead make Attack of the Alien Robots. Hoist and his friends found themselves wearing silly masks and being blown up. As it turned out, the Decepticons were hunting Major Pictures studio for a reel of film, and Hoist helped Spike and Carly fake its destruction, prompting the Decepticons to leave. It later turned out that the secret weapon the Decepticons had salvaged was one of Wheeljack's old inventions that didn't work anyway. Hoist subsequently swore off the movie business. Hoist Goes Hollywood

Hoist was also one of the Autobots who traveled to Cybertron in Omega Supreme to try and stop the Decepticons creating the Stunticons. He and Ratchet were able to save the life of Alpha Trion. When they were too late to stop the Decepticons, Optimus came up with a new plan, and the Autobots set to work modifying some old cargo rockets into Earth-style jets. The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1 The jet were brought to life by Vector Sigma as the Aerialbots. The Autobots returned to Earth in Omega Supreme, who broke down on arrival. Rather than help repair him, Hoist instead went with the Autobots to a rocket base under attack by Decepticons, only to come off second best against the Stunticons. The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2

Hoist was briefly seen assembled with the rest of the Autobots before they drove off to rescue Perceptor from Fox Creek Canyon. Cosmic Rust Hoist assisted in the capture of Breakdown and Wildrider while the Stunticons were assembling Megatron's latest new weapon. His laser cannon brought the chaotic Wildrider to a screeching halt. When reporting in to Optimus Prime, Hoist gleefully remarked how patching them up wouldn't be his job! Masquerade

In the Middle East, Hoist and a squad of Autobots backed up the Aerialbots against Combaticon activities in the area. The Decepticons fled, but Slingshot was trapped behind an avalanche. Thanks to Skydive's knack for engineering, Hoist was able to get through the rocky debris and pull Slingshot to safety. He and Ratchet then patched him up at the nearby air field. Aerial Assault

Japanese cartoon continuity

The Battle of the Star Gate

Hoist was amongst the Autobots who once more confronted Megatron and his Decepticons at the Trigger in Earth orbit. When Starscream combined himself with the Trigger to create a powerful new body for himself, Hoist had to contend with the volley of asteroids thrown towards both Autobots and Decepticons from Starscream’s star gate. He was then almost sucked into a portal to a black hole when Starscream neared defeat, but was instead sent plummeting down to Earth when Optimus and Megatron worked together to defeat Starscream. The Battle of the Star Gate

Wings Universe

Wings Universe is based on the Generation 1 cartoon, but deviates from it in cosmetic ways and continuity points.

After a battle with Devastator early in the war, Hoist helped repair the Autobots that fell in the battle. After the Ark departed, Hoist was one of a group of Autobots that entered suspended animation to save the precious little energon they had left. Battle Lines, Part 6

In the 1990s, Hoist was part of the Earth-based technological research that was instrumental in the development of the Cyberfactories and the "Generation 2" wave of Transformers.

When the Machine Wars broke out, Hoist was among the last defenders of Cybertron against the invasion of Jhiaxus and his clone armies. He fought alongside the famous generals Obsidian and Strika in their campaign against the clones. Termination

Five days before Jhiaxus’s invasion of Cybertron, Hoist helped Hotlink fuse the controls for the space bridge control room. Despite their best efforts, however, the bridge could not be opened up from their end. They were ushered out of the room when Obsidian and Pyro wished to talk in private. He later helped with the war effort against Jhiaxus’s invasion, carrying injured bots to safety when they could no longer fight. A Common Foe

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

Events from the UK-only comic stories are in italics.

“	Are we always to be subjected to the indignities Hoist inflicts upon our bodies?	”
—Tracks doesn't like being probed, "I, Robot-Master!"

Wheeljack finally opened up the box of Minute Hoist.

Hoist was one of a group of Autobots who allowed their brainwave patterns to be encoded on crystals and stored aboard the Ark in case more warriors were needed. Despite the fact that the Ark did come under attack during that mission, these warriors were not taken out of storage until after the Ark crash-landed on Earth and spent four million years collecting dust before reawakening in 1984. However, once the Autobots got their act together, Hoist and his crystal-stored friends were reactivated and sent with Bumblebee on a training mission.

I feel asleep!

Though Bumblebee's orders were to keep Hoist and the others incognito and to avoid conflict, the Decepticons' infiltration of a Brick Springstern concert at Municipal Stadium forced his hand. As the Autobots fought to keep the Decepticons from using their power siphon to harvest energy from the concert, Hoist worked to keep the stage from collapsing on the band members. Rock and Roll-Out!

After settling in, Hoist took up the task of routine check-ups for the Autobots who resided in the Ark. Every 1200 miles or four Earth weeks, whichever comes first! Some Autobots, like Skids, appreciated this maintenance, but Tracks only found it invasive. I, Robot-Master!

I lost my faceplate!

Later, Hoist was sent to Alaska to track the Constructicons. While sneaking up on their base, he fell into an old snow-covered mineshaft, and became wedged in place, requiring rescue. But when Jazz came to his aid, he was shot in the head, and Hoist had to wrangle his brain-damaged teammate to safety while being hunted by the Constructicons. The Mission

Hoist was present with the other active Autobots for Grapple's unveiling of Omega Supreme. With the addition of Omega Supreme to the Autobot ranks, Optimus Prime was free to take the entirety of his Autobots off-site to pursue other tasks. Hoist and the rest followed Optimus lead to the Decepticons' Wyoming base, where they brought a rare full-scale assault on their enemies. Once Bumblebee had gathered the data he needed, however, Optimus Prime called for Hoist and the others to retreat. Command Performances!

When Optimus Prime, Prowl and Ratchet mysteriously vanished in a flash of light, Hoist and the rest were left to pick up the pieces. He and the others suffered a severe pounding at the hands of a trio of Decepticons who had traveled from the future, and they were forced to team up with Megatron (of all things) to even the odds. Megatron led a strike team, which included Hoist, against the future Decepticon Scourge, with some success. Once the future Decepticons were thwarted and the missing Autobots returned, Hoist joined his fellow Autobots in welcoming back Optimus Prime. Target: 2006

Front and center! Finally, Hoist is the favorite one!

After Optimus Prime was destroyed following a virtual encounter with Megatron, Hoist observed with his fellow Autobots as Ratchet tried in vain to repair him. A funeral followed, in which every available Autobot except Ratchet participated. Funeral for a Friend!

Hoist disembarked on the Moon along with the rest of the Ark's crew to watch a staged battle between Blaster and Grimlock for leadership of the Autobots. Totaled!

When an Underbase-powered Starscream announced that he would "destroy the cities of New York, Tokyo, and Buenos Aires," Hoist was among the allied Autobot/Decepticon teams sent ahead to New York City. As Starscream approached, Goldbug led a team of Autobots which included Hoist, and the entire team was destroyed with a "single wave of Starscream's hand"! Oops. Dark Star

Marvel UK future timelines

Hoist was stationed at the Ark in 2003. He was present to hear Ultra Magnus's vision of a new, transforming Autobot City. Ark Duty

Regeneration One

Template:Noterg1 When Grapple, Hosehead, Crosshairs and Blurr arrived at the Autobot base beneath the Senate Forum on Cybertron to look for Hoist, Perceptor and Splashdown they were missing, presumably infected by Scorponok's Gene Key. Natural Selection, Part Three

In the aftermath of the Decepticons' Warworld assault on Cybertron, Hoist helped with the clean-up and repairs for the devastated cityscapes. The War to End All Wars, Part 1

Ladybird Books continuity

Hoist was among a team of Autobots assembled by Ultra Magnus and led by Kup to go looking for material on an old battlefield. They barely started searching before they were attacked by Starscream and the Decepticon jets and had to retreat. Galvatron's Air Attack Some time later, Hoist was among the Autobots stationed on Nebulos. When the Autobots grew suspicious that the Decepticons were being a little too quiet, they sent out long range patrols. Hoist and Landfill scouted out the Pole and had to brave some fierce blizzards. Decepticons Underground

Big Looker storybooks

Hoist was present when Beachcomber came rushing back to base after being attacked by the mind-controlled Grapple. He later performed the patch work on Grapple's head after Windcharger magnetically removed the cerebro-shell (without a license for brain surgery, no doubt). Insecticon Attack!

Hoist thinks work is hard work. Car Show Blow Up

Transformers in 3-D

After Optimus Prime's resurrection, Hoist and First Aid bugged Prime to undergo a full checkup, though he felt fine. Hot Rod believed this was just their way of saying it was good to have their leader back. A short time later, a Decepticon strike force led by Sixshot attacked, and Hoist took part in trying to fight them off. It turned out to be a diversion while Galvatron used his Nullification Cannon on Cybertron's Energon stocks, and Hoist could only watch as the strike force promptly fled once the deception was uncovered. The War Against the Destructons, Chapter 1 of 3

Dreamwave Generation One continuity

Nine million years ago, Hoist was allied with the Autobot cause when Optronix first rose to become Optimus Prime. He was briefly seen helping make the preparations to abandon Cybertron, in response to the new Prime's orders. The War Within #2

After the Great Shutdown, Hoist was one of several Autobots Shockwave "helped" into a position of power as the Autobot High Council. Ostensibly, Shockwave was to rule beside the Council as the Unified Cybertronian government. In fact, however, Shockwave arranged for the council to be composed of Autobots whom he could easily manipulate, and so slowly amassed the majority of true political power for himself, leaving Hoist and his comrades as little more than figureheads. When Optimus Prime and the crew of the Ark returned to Cybertron and helped lead the various Autobot resistance cells in outright insurrection, Hoist and the rest of the High Council finally got the wake-up call, and took to the streets alongside their fellow Autobots, overthrowing Shockwave entirely. Revelation

There were several victims of the revolution, however, including Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus. Hoist personally attended to their recuperation cycles. Black Sunshine Later, he accompanied Prowl and the Ark's crew back to Earth, where they set up camp and prepared for the construction of Autobot City. He was last seen going over Hound's holographic blueprints with Grapple. The Route of All Evil

Hoist was all-but left out of Dreamwave's story. Although the War and Peace TPB confirmed that he was intended to be a member of the High Council, Hoist was apparently juuuuust off-panel throughout that entire series, making only a one-panel cameo in a flashback from issue #6. He did not actually make a modern appearance in the timeline until "Black Sunshine".

TransTech

Hoist was a member of the Axiom Nexus Security Administration. He was part of the group investigating the discovery of Comet's body. Later, Airazor called him to pick up Escargon's body from the Widow's Cafe Cybertronian. Withered Hope

IDW Generation 1 continuity

This section covers fiction that is ongoing. It will be added to as the story progresses. If it isn't current, you can help by updating it.

In the early days of the Decepticon uprising, Hoist commuted regularly from Kalis to Ibex on a passenger shuttle. On one occasion, the craft collided with another shuttle during an ill-advised shortcut over the Rust Spot, causing to crash with Hoist as the only survivor. Completely alone, he spent an extended period of time waiting for rescue. The Waiting Game

Hoist was amongst the Autobots who attempted to halt Nemesis Prime's progress at the Garrus-9 penitentiary. They were unsuccessful. Spotlight: Doubledealer

AKA "that normal dude who keeps running off with Rodimus"

Hoist joined Optimus Prime's troops on Earth at some point after the failed Decepticon conquest of the planet, but following Prime's surrender, he decided to get out before Ultra Magnus started arresting people. Bumblebee tried to get him to stay, but Hoist calmly explained his reasoning and apologized before driving off with Blurr, Tracks and Beachcomber to join Hot Rod's team of defectors, who were currently attempting to get off the planet. As Hoist led his comrades in Hot Rod's general direction, the four Autobots were attacked by the human organization Skywatch, who quickly took out Beachcomber. Hoist only had time to stop Tracks from opening fire on the humans before he too was offlined and stuck in vehicle mode. Spike Witwicky then used the captured Autobots in his negotiations with Optimus Prime. A Rude Awakening

Eventually, the Autobots agreed to form an alliance with Skywatch, and Hoist rejoined his comrades. Once the Decepticons returned to Earth and attacked their base, the Autobots retreated towards Omega Supreme, only to be pestered by angry civilians and confronted by Megatron. Hoist and the others pounded the newly upgraded Decepticon leader with a barrage of completely ineffective firepower, and were in turn taken out of action by a single shot from his cannon. Woken Furies

Megatron dumped the injured Autobots in a schoolyard in Albuquerque, where they were held hostage by two humans carrying Megatron-based handguns and were influenced by Megatron's own thoughts. Unable to fight back or defend themselves without risking human lives, Hoist and the others could only sit tight until they were saved by Jazz, who killed one of the humans. Burning Chrome

After recovering from his injuries, Hoist volunteered to return to Cybertron, which had been occupied by Galvatron. Space Opera—Final Tableaux: Orphans of the Helix On arrival, he transformed and rolled out to battle Galvatron's Sweep hordes alongside the other Autobots. Chaos Part Two: Numbers

Hey, it's my vehicle mode!

After the battle, Hoist joined Rodimus's crew of the Lost Light as they went searching for the Knights of Cybertron. Following a failed launch, the ship was lost in space and a number of crew members were sucked out and fell onto a nearby planetoid. Hoist helped search for them and ended up towing Cyclonus out of a lake. Hangers On He shared a room with Boss when Rodimus locked the ship down following an attack by a Sparkeater. The Chaos of Warm Things

Hey, it's my, uh, other vehicle mode!

Hoist would subsequently become Trailbreaker's roommate once everyone settled into everyday life on the Lost Light. When Rodimus awarded several crewmembers Rodimus Stars for their actions in a decompression emergency, Hoist attended the awards ceremony and hung out at Swerve's afterwards. The Reluctant Specialist A short time later he set off on a resource-gathering mission to an abandoned Decepticon outpost on Deimus, accompanied by Swerve and Perceptor. Shortly before their leaving, Sunstreaker invited himself (and his pet) along as pilot. This, unfortunately, lead to disaster when the vain Autobot crashed the ship, distracted by his own reflection, leaving the craft upside-down and Perceptor melted into the floor.

Unable to contact the Lost Light (thanks to their own emergency), Hoist set out to scout the area but encountered, inexplicably, Tarn, leader of the Decepticon Justice Division. The maintenance engineer fled back to the shuttle and cloaked it, leaving the stranded crew to sit and hope they got rescued before running out of power for the cloak. As Swerve rambled to pass the time, the conversation turned first to fears, then Hoist's ordinariness, and finally to near-death experiences. After being pestered, Hoist shared the story of his shipwrecking in the Rust Spot, but when retrieving a "prop" he had used from the floor, he realised that Swerve had been concealing a serious injury sustained in the crash. Determining that Swerve didn't have enough time left for them to wait for rescue, Hoist and Sunstreaker went proactive, gearing up with makeshift weapons in the hope of stealing a ship from Tarn.

Not long after splitting up, Hoist found Sunstreaker lying at the feet of not Tarn but Megatron, Shockwave, Sixshot and Overlord, who promptly combined into a towering abomination before vanishing into thin air. Realising something strange was afoot, the engineer returned to Perceptor on the ship, where they realised that the combining Decepticons had been the product of a phobia shield drawing on, in this case, Swerve's fears. With the metallurgist now unconscious from his wounds but a medishuttle from the Lost Light on its way, Hoist fled the ship carrying Swerve and a bisected Perceptor, shortly before it was crushed by the phobia shield's new apparition: Metroplex, Bob's worst fear. The maintenance engineer then promptly knocked out both Perceptor and Bob, leaving himself as the sole target for the shield, which realised Hoist's worst fear: being stranded alone. The Waiting Game

And here's my other robot mode.

The group was soon retrieved by the rescue shuttle, and Hoist was summarily awarded a Rodimus Shield for his actions. This did not please Trailcutter, who had been revelling in finally receiving a Star for his efforts in the Lost Light's own crisis. The Reluctant Specialist Later on, Hoist was amongst the crew members who joined in the attack on a Decepticon base discovered on Temptoria. As they traveled to the planet on board the Leading Light, he complimented Trailcutter on his newly upgraded legs. Before & After Tailgate asked Hoist and Skids for their opinion on a little present he was fashioning for Cyclonus. He had no clue what it was, which frustrated Tailgate, but the three (and Cyclonus) were interrupted by a ship-wide alert. After racing to the source of the alarm, Hoist was pretty surprised to see that it heralded Overlord's presence on board. Under Cold Blue Stars

After the Lost Light crew rediscovered the famed long-lost Luna 1, a small away team was sent to its surface. During their absence, the ship was overrun by Legislators. Hoist held a wounded Dipstick behind Trailcutter and his forcefield as their opponents advanced. House of Ambus After the ship finally returned to Cybertron, Hoist and some other crew members disembarked to discuss the threat of the Necrotitan with Bumblebee's Autobots. Finis Temporis The Necrotitan was defeated by Metroplex, giving the reunited Autobots a chance to rest and catch up. The Becoming They later held a trial for a surrendered Megatron at Raskol Arena, which Hoist attended. Towards Peace

Hoist continued to be part of the Lost Light crew as it set off on its second journey, now captained by a reformed Megatron. At one point he was seen at Swerve's, chatting with new crew member Bluestreak. Words Hang in the Air When parts of the Lost Light began mysteriously disappearing, the crew evacuated the doomed ship. Predestination: A Beginner's Guide Hoist was among the 20 Autobots evacuated on board the Rodpod, where he embarrassed new arrival Nautica with compliments. All original crew members themselves then began disappearing one by one, Hoist among them. Twenty Plus One

Transformers vs. G.I. Joe

This section covers fiction that is ongoing. It will be added to as the story progresses. If it isn't current, you can help by updating it.

Games

Transformers Legends

Grapple and Hoist were showing off their model Solar Power Tower when they were called away with Huffer to tend to a stricken Powerglide. The three engineers ran into the Constructicons, but instead of fighting instead bonded over their love of building. The truce was short-lived, as Shockwave and Deluge turned up to remind Scrapper which side he was on, but the Autobot trio still managed to rescue Powerglide. The Master Builders Hoist, Warpath and Spike were transported to the sixth century where they joined with Lord Aetheling, and were forced to combat similarly-displaced Decepticons at a medieval technology level. They eventually triumphed and returned to the present with the Decepticons as prisoners. A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court Hoist was cast in a Hollywood film, which was jeopardized when Decepticons attacked the set. He and Warpath were able to fight them off, and the film became a blockbuster success. Hoist Goes Hollywood

Somehow I can shoot people in vehicle mode....

Transformers: Battle Tactics

Hoist participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! Transformers: Battle Tactics

Toys

Generation 1

"Oh, I say old chaps, anyone in need of a lift?"

• Hoist (Autobot, 1985, 2001)
  • Japanese ID number: 46
  • Accessories: Left & right fists, left & right "Radar Panels", "Full Spectrum Multi-Sensor", 2 "Twin Blasters", 2 missiles

A retool of 1984's Trailbreaker featuring a new head and an orange towing apparatus to replace Trailbreaker's canopy, Hoist transforms into a green Toyota Hi-Lux pickup. The truck has blue tinted windows and black and yellow caution decals running the length of the body side. In robot mode, Hoist is mostly green with chrome legs and orange trim. The toy comes equipped with two plug in fists, but Hoist is usually depicted with one hand and one weapon. The spring-launchers in his forearms were severely neutered for all US releases of the toy.

In Mexico, Hoist retained the original Trailbreaker head, but cast in green plastic. Weird. The Mexican version has no white outlines on the caution stripes on the sides.

Hoist was given a Collector's Edition reissue in Japan in 2001 as a single-day C3 convention exclusive.

• More information on Generation 1 Hoist at TFU.info

Machine Wars

File:MachineWars Hoist toy.jpg

"Really now, chaps. Black, this is simply too much."

• Hoist (Basic, 1997)
  • Accessories: Grill/rifle

A mold originally designed for — but never released in — Generation 2, Machine Wars Hoist shares a mold with Machine Wars Hubcap, transforming into a Kenworth W900 wrecker truck. He is a "flipchanger", meaning most of his transformation sequence is an autotransform, springing into robot mode by lifting a catch (in his case, his towing hook). His rifle is made up of his front grill and bumper.

This mold was also used to make the 2001 Robots in Disguise Tow-Line and Robotmasters Wrecker Hook.

• More information on Machine Wars Hoist at TFU.info
• Image gallery of Machine Wars Hoist at Seibertron.com

Commemorative Series

• Hoist (Autobot, 2003)
  • Japanese ID number: 46
  • Accessories: Left & right fists, left & right "Radar Panels", "Full Spectrum Multi-Sensor", 2 "Twin Blasters", 2 missiles

Hoist was later re-re-issued in 2003 by Hasbro as part of the Toys"Я"Us-exclusive Commemorative Series line.

Universe (2003)

Now armed with a vacuum cleaner!

• Hoist (Spy Changer, 2003)

Universe Hoist is a redeco of the 2001 Robots in Disguise Spy Changer version of X-Brawn, transforming into a Mercedes-Benz ML320 SUV. He features through-axle wheels to allow for super-fast rolling on smooth surfaces. Like the other toys in his assortment, Hoist uses factory-applied decals for a lot of his vehicle mode deco, a rarity for toys released since the Generation 2 toyline.

Originally a Kay-Bee stores exclusive, the first release of this toy (and the others in the assortment) did not have any sub-line designation at all, but later releases for other chains, most notably "budget" chains like Family Dollar, marked them as Universe product.

• More information on Spy Changer Hoist #1 at TFU.info

And yet he's still too big to fit inside Huffer.

• Hoist (Spy Changer, 2006)
  • Accessories: Rifle

This version of Hoist is identical to the last KB Toys exclusive redeco of 2001 Robots in Disguise Ironhide, transforming into a translucent blue Ford F150 Flareside pickup truck. Being at roughly 1:64 scale and featuring through-axle construction, he is largely compatible with "Hot Wheels" and "Matchbox" brand race tracks and playsets. He was available only on an individual card from discount chains like The Dollar Store.

This mold was also used to make Motormouth, the Go-Bots version of Ironhide and Universe Ironhide.

Encore

• Hoist (Autobot, 2008)
  • Japanese ID number: 14
  • Accessories: Left & right fists, left & right "Radar Panels", "Full Spectrum Multi-Sensor", 2 "Twin Blasters", 2 missiles

Hoist was re-issued again in Japan in 2008 as part of TakaraTomy's Encore line. Of note, his eyes were changed to blue, and similar to the Mexican version, he has no white outlines on the caution stripes on the sides.

Generations

"Donut?"

• Hoist (Legends Class, 2012)
  • Accessories: Rifle

Generations Legends Class Hoist is a redeco/retool of Transformers: Reveal the Shield Legends Class Trailcutter, and converts into a green SUV. He features retooled hands and a hole on the back of his head/roof, both of which are compatible with 3mm posts. He comes with a gun (sculpted after one of Generation 1 Hoist's missiles) with three posts and a hole, allowing the weapon to be held and mounted in different ways. Originally developed by Hasbro Asia for release in their territories, Hoist was later released together with various other formerly "Asian market exclusive" toys as a ToysЯUs exclusive in the United States for the 2012 holiday season.

• More information on Generations Hoist at TFU.info

• Metroplex (Titan Class, 2013)
  • 01 OF 30

An exclusive version of Titan Class Metroplex was made available at San Diego Comic-Con 2013. He comes with 12 small, non-transforming figurines of Orion Pax, Megatron, Bumblebee, Thundercracker, Trailcutter, and Hoist, all in both modes. The figurines are based on their Generations: Thrilling 30 Deluxe Class toys, and similarly to Decoys, the Autobot figurines are cast in red plastic, and the Decepticons in purple.

• Metroplex (Titan Class, 2013)
  • 05 OF 30

Another exclusive version of Titan Class Metroplex was made available at Hong Kong ACG-CON 2013. This Metroplex also has the 12 figurines of Orion Pax, Megatron, Bumblebee, Thundercracker, Trailcutter, and Hoist, but casts the Autobot figurines in gold plastic, and the Decepticons in silver.

Hmm, what can one say about Hoist's toy? Well, um... it's green, for starters. It's also, er... it's got a towing hook! A towing hook that, uh... turns into a gun, and...

• Hoist (Deluxe, 2013)
  • Accessories: Towing hook/blaster

Part of the sixth wave of 2012-onwards Generations Deluxe Class toys, Thrilling 30 Hoist is a redeco/retool of Trailcutter. He has a new head, and transforms into an off-road truck. Instead of Trailcutter's truck bed canopy/shielded blaster, Hoist comes with a towing hook that can transform into a blaster, and peg via 5mm post onto any of his numerous ports.

The American release comes packaged with a copy of IDW's 'Spotlight: Hoist'.

• More information on Thrilling 30 Hoist at TFU.info

• Trailbreaker & Hoist (Multi-pack, 30-11-2013)
  • Japanese ID number: TG-27
  • Accessories: Towing hook/blaster

The Japanese release of Generations Hoist is redecoed in colors closer to his original toy, featuring a darker shade of green plastic, a darker orange, and a blue windshield. He also several additional paint operations including back lights and eyes, which are now blue rather than yellow. Hoist's yellow stripes were changed to orange for this release and some of the black operations on his front bumper to silver. Hoist was only available in a two-pack with Trailbreaker.

Timelines

File:BotCon2013toy-Hoist.jpg

Hey buddy, anybody ever tell you you look like Electro?

• Machine Wars: Termination (BotCon box set, 2013)
  • Accessories: Rifle

A redeco/retool of Generations Sergeant Kup, Timelines Hoist is based on Hoist's Machine Wars body, and has a new head that combines the elements of his own head and Electro's. He transforms into a "retro"-styled Earth pickup truck, and is covered in 3mm rungs that are compatible with C joint clip-on weapons. There are two rungs on his backpack, plus two rungs each on his forearm kibble, and two on his lower back. The rifle can either plug via 5mm post into the underside of the truck, forming a second exhaust pipe, or clip onto the roof of the truck via a C joint. Interestingly, due to his transformation, Hoist's truck mode features a working tailgate.

Hoist comes in a BotCon 2013-exclusive boxset with Skywarp, Strika, Obsidian, and Megaplex. The original version of this toy, with the alternate head, was used to make Generations Swerve, while this version of the mold was redecoed into fellow BotCon 2013 exclusive, Autobot Electrons.

In an assembly error, Hoist's shoulders are on the wrong sides, preventing his arms from being lowered to his sides.

• More information on Timelines Hoist at TFU.info

Merchandise

Decoy

• Cybertron Hero Collection 22 (multi-pack, 1986)
• Hoist (1987)
  • Decoy number: 21

The figurine was later brought over to Hasbro markets as part of the Decoy promotion, largely identical to the Japanese release except for the fact that the number on his back was replaced with a simple "checklist" number. Like all Autobot Decoys, he was a randomly-chosen pack-in available with the carded Throttlebots, Aerialbots, Protectobots and Technobots.

• More information on Decoy Hoist at TFU.info

Notes

Maybe one of them is the real "Moist"?

• Like all of the other 1984~1985 Autobot "cars", the first Hoist toy was originally from the Japanese Diaclone toyline as a piloted mecha. The "4WD Hi-Lux Wrecker-type" came in two different color schemes: red with black kneecaps and yellow wrecker-rig, or in blue with red kneecaps and yellow rig, which was available in a two-pack with the Diaclone toy that would become Crosscut. Yes, the green-and-orange coloration was made up specifically for Transformers.
• Hoist had the preliminary name of Winch.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Hoist (ホイスト Hoisuto)
• French: Treuil (Canada, "Winch")
• Hungarian: Csörlő
• Italian: Bufalo ("Buffalo")
• Mandarin: Huáchē (滑车, "Pulley")
• Portuguese: Roldana (Portugal comic), Guindaste (Brazil comic)
• Russian: Tjagach (Тягач, "Tractor")

External links

• Hoist's Universe profile at NFTA.net
• Alex Milne's design for MTMTE Hoist @ Seibertron.com