#51: Hoist (1985)

I actually own Hoist. It's not an original 1985 Hoist, but it IS a Hoist. And I love it. I always did love Hoist, even as a kid. I think it's because in 1985 I wanted to be a doctor (and THE Doctor, most probably), and that's exactly what Hoist is. Ratchet is the surgeon, the guy who does the major repair jobs. But if all you have is a bit of leaking lubricant, then Hoist's your man.

Oddly enough, that's pretty much how he was portrayed in both the G1 comic AND cartoon, as well. They guy who patched people up, carried out the robotic version of first aid. And also conspired with Grapple, his partner in crime, to build things. In the cartoon then, he was there to replace Ratchet, be the Autobot's medic. Due to that, he was always around. He even got his own episode, Hoist Goes Hollywood (written by the late Earl Kress) where he gets talent spotted by a Hollywood director and gets to star in a movie along with a few other Autobots. It's a fun episode, and goes to show just how much Earl liked to bash up the Transformers !

In the comics, the story just repeats, really. He was always around, always there, patching up the Autobots. His big moment came pretty early on, when he helped save a bunch of concertgoers by shoring up the stage that Brick Springstern and his band were performing on, and telling the guys to keep playing, lest the crowd start to panic. Sadly, Hoist came to a rather sticky end in the comics, when he was killed by the Underbase-infused Starscream. In IDW, he's mainly been a bit part player, but he's currently on the Lost Light, so who knows? Big days could always be ahead for ol' Hoist.

Hoist is a retool and repaint of 1984's Trailbreaker, and it's a worthy repaint at that. The toy was always good, I think it suits the pickup truck better though. That's just my own personal, though. One complaint I do have is that the pickup assembly never quite fits into place and stays there; you can always just shrug and say to yourself "1985" though. It's a G1 problem, and also what makes G1 charming in the first place, at least to me.

Hoist is one of my favourite toys from this era of Transformers. Nice to play with, good, bright colours, and fun. The character is sound, and has been represented pretty well in fiction; that's not to say I wouldn't want to see more of him in IDW, and a Generations toy of him out asap though.