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| ©
2002-2008 Don't Call Me Tony Prod. |
By Daniel Suh
Getting shot in the gut with the Requiem Blaster turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Smokescreen. As Hoist, he's bigger, stronger, and cooler, and hopefully he'll manage to avoid becoming a pegwarmer this time around.
REFUTE
Vehicle
Mode: Refute
is best described as a futuristic cargo transport that strongly resembles
a stag beetle. Indeed, if you were to slap on a new color scheme, he'd
make a great War Within Shrapnel
or Chop
Shop. From the tips of his gripper claws to his exhaust pipes, Refute
measures 8 cm (3.1") long. His main colour is bright orange with
a metallic silver cockpit, beige tires, and blue-gray gripper claws, side
platforms, and exhaust pipes. His faction symbol is on his back and his
Powerlinx peg is on his underside.
Pushing Refute along causes his gripper claws to open and close. As well, he can work in conjunction with Cyclonus' helicopter mode, except Cyc's legs get in the way.
Transformation: If you can't figure this one out on your own, you should probably get a new hobby.
Robot
Mode: One of the largest Mini-Cons, Refute
stands 7 cm (2.8") tall at the head, 9 cm (3.5") including his
gripper claws. His head is rectangular with narrow light blue eyes. Instead
of fists, he has claws, adding to his construction theme. He's articulated
at the shoulders, waist, and hips.I rather like this little guy, especially
the clamping claws gimmick.
HOIST
Track Hoe Mode: Move over, G1 Scavenger and RID Grimlock. At 10 cm (4") wide and 16 cm (6.3") long, Hoist is the largest track hoe TF to date. His main colors are white, beige, and pumpkin orange, with assorted blue-gray parts, red and light blue accents, black stripes on the shovel arm, metallic silver windows, and metallic silver wear on the shovel blade. A red molded Autobot symbol is on top of his right section while the initials "S.D. 74" are printed on top of his left section. According to Orson, "S.D" stands for San Diego, but beyond that, no one seems to know just what the significance is.
Hoist
rolls along on three wheels. He's got lots of nice detail to him, including
some beautifully moulded treads. His upper portion rotates just like on
a real track hoe. He has four hardpoints, one on either side and two at
his rear. Pushing repeatedly on the knob at his rear right causes his
shovel arm to reach forwards, extending his vehicle length to 21 cm (8.3").
There's even an adjustable thumb so that Hoist
can grip Mini-Cons with his shovel.
His Mini-Con gimmick is kinda iffy. On top of the control knob is a small blue-gray tab that flips forwards and locks into place, thereby rendering the shovel arm immobile. Attaching a Mini-Con to the live hardpoint on the knob causes the tab to flip back again, re-activating the shovel arm. It's probably the least impressive Mini-Con gimmick yet, and really seems to have been added as an afterthought.
Transformation: Very easy. The treads unfold to become legs, the shoulders swing out and up, and the robot head swings up.
Robot
Mode: Hoist
stands 15 cm (6") tall at the head, 18.5 cm (7.3") at the right
shoulder. Whereas Smokescreen
was short and squat, Hoist
is tall and lanky, though still quite powerful-looking. His shovel gimmick
makes for a great power punch in this mode. And to top it off, his head
strongly resembles one of the most badass TF characters of all time. With
a beige and orange helmet, blue complexion, green eyes, and fearsome expression,
Hoist's
head is almost a dead ringer for the heroic Dinobot
from Beast Wars. Good kitbashing potential for this guy.
Hoist is also one of the most poseable Supercons. He's articulated at the head, shoulders, left elbow (hinge&swivel), knuckle, thumbs, waist, hips, knees, and ankles. Also, his shovel arm can ratchet at the elbow.
Overall, Susp Sez: Hoist is one of the best Supercons to date. Great vehicle mode, simple yet effective transformation, good poseability, nice homage to BW, and okay Mini-Con. 9/10
Susp
"You have to be rolling before you can be fighting." -Hoist (G1)
