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Transformers Toy Review Archive (older series, 1984 to date)
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Savannahtron's review of: Hoist

Generation: Armada
First cartoon appearance: Regeneration
"If your looking for a fight, you've found the right 'bot"

"The mighty Megatron devastated Smokescreen in battle by using the Requiem Blaster on him twice. The Autobots took their fallen comrade back to their base where Red Alert tried to perform vital repairs needed to Smokescreen's overwhelming damaged body and systems. Not being able to repair the husk of Smokescreens battered remains, Red Alert rebuilt him, formatting him using the design of an excavator. Rebuilt and ready for action, Hoist is stronger than ever, ready to face the Decepticons on the battlefield once again."

Vehicle Mode: Hoist's reformatted body has turned him into a super powered excavator. Versatile construction vehicle with extendable excavator arm for digging, and a cab that turns 360° for action at any angle. There is a lever joint that you can attach a minicon to behind the backhoe that makes the arm extend back and forth and retracting to its origin point when finished. Hoist has three wheels which would make you think (because his alternate mode is rather large) that it would not be very mobile at all, but not the case. Hoist can roll very freely and can move strafing sideways if you wish. Most robot parts are well hidden which gives this Transformer a great excavator mode.

Robot Mode: Hoist is rather simple to transform into robot mode from his alternate mode, but that does not make him a simple looking bot. Armed with enhanced strength with his right arm (which is the digger), Hoist not only has a longer reach, but a stronger punch. Extremely maneuverable in robot mode, and alternate mode, Hoist is definitely a lot better than his former shell of Smokescreen. Hoist is extremely posable and although his arms don't extend laterally more than about 30°, they do rotate 360°, and his forearms rotate also. Hoist has 4 minicon attachments, but only one of them does something special, which is the backhoe arm connection. Hoist's head has a brown and orange helmet, with a blue face that reminds me a lot of Dinobot from the Beast Wars videos, and makes him look very cool. His color scheme flows together very well with a combination of white, orange and brown, with blue highlights.

Refute: Refute looks almost like an Insecticon was scrambled with a Constructicon. He is orange and grey and his "pinchers" open and close as you roll him to and fro. He has classic Robbie the Robot arms, which is kind of funny looking, but you get used to it. Overall, I would say that he is a mediocre minicon, but very durable.


Transformation:4, very easy, but sturdy in both forms.
Durability: 8, Hoist will last a long time, even with heavy play.
Fun: 8, Lots of poses, incredible stances, and great manuevaribility in both modes.
Price: $8.76 USD which is a great price considering that most of the toys run at least $10 or more. Hoist is definitely a great additiion to my collection.
Summary: Hoist is a much better toy than his predecessor, Smokescreen. He is very posable, and has a lot of articulation points, which is always a plus when it comes to buying a Transformer. His minicon partner, Refute, is kind of strange, but hey, they have tons of minicons, and Hoist has 4 attachments for different ones. A very decent Transformer for the price, and better than some that are more expensive.
 
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