Smokescreen (Armada)

Let's see what you can see... This article is in need of images. Specifics: In hand Universe toy

Smokescreen is an Autobot from the Armada portion of the Unicron Trilogy continuity family.

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 (and a little bit careless), 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.

This iron resolve only intensified after Smokescreen fell in battle from a near-fatal encounter with Megatron. Rebuilt entirely and now calling himself Hoist, his jovial moments come less frequently now, and his occasional lapses in judgment are a thing of the past. Even tougher than before, he sometimes quips that nearly dying was the best thing that ever happened to him.

Fiction

Toy pack-in comics

Optimus Prime contacted him from Autobot Headquarters. Armada Volume 2 He later cheered on Optimus's defeat of Galvatron on Cybertron. Armada Volume 4

Dreamwave Armada continuity

Dreamwave Armada comic

Smokescreen: "Heroic" Autobot.

A million years ago, Smokescreen and Scavenger were guarding the entrance to the Loop 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. Armada #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 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 Powerlinx with Bulks, providing them great power. The Autobots were beaten up and forced to retreat. Armada #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 attitude earned 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. Armada #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 Powerlinxed 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 Powerlinxed with the Autobots. Liftor linked with Smokescreen, giving him a mighty shoulder-mounted cannon. At a tactical disadvantage, the Decepticons were forced to flee. Armada #5

The Autobots attacked the Decepticons after they'd captured Rad and Carlos, with Smokescreen sneaking up on Starscream, and Red Alert tricking him into knocking himself out on Smokescreen's crane. They were ultimately defeated by Megatron and captured, but escaped after the Mini-Con Swindle had a change of heart and turned on the Decepticons. Unfortunately, the Autobots were unable to stop the Decepticons from taking Swindle back with them when they retreated. Armada Free Comic Book Day

Smokescreen sure knows how to kill a conversation.

Soon after establishing their base, Optimus detected unusually high energy readings in the vicinity of Death Valley in California, and sent Smokescreen and Scavenger to investigate. After some time, they reported back that the Decepticons were readying to launch some sort of rocket. Unfortunately, the Autobots were occupied with a Mini-Con rescue operation in Alaska, so Laserbeak brought them orders to do whatever was necessary to stop the Decepticons... about twenty minutes after the rocket had been launched. Fire & Ice

After arriving back from Death Valley, Smokescreen and Scavenger found an extensively damaged Optimus Prime inside Autobase: Earth and rushed him to the medical bay. When the others returned from Alaska sans their Optimus Prime, together worked to save this Prime's life and find out what had happened to their Optimus Prime. Sadly, despite their best efforts, this Prime awakened momentarily to deliver a cryptic warning about the walls of reality crumbling and the coming chaos before dying. Worlds Collide, Part 1 of 4

When the Decepticons detected the Autobots searching the multiverse for Optimus Prime, Megatron launched an attack on Autobase: Earth, seizing the opportunity to hit the Autobots while their biggest guns was missing. During the battle, Smokescreen and Scavenger were the front-line defense sent to buy time, but were run off the narrow road they were on by Demolishor. Smokescreen tried to recover, but got blasted in the chest by Megatron's cannon at point-blank range. Worlds Collide, Part 2 of 4

Though the blast didn't kill him, it left him in critical condition. Worlds Collide, Part 4 of 4 He was taken to the Autobase on Cybertron for extensive repairs, though there was a fear he might never recover. During the final battle against Unicron, Hot Shot, Scavenger and Red Alert blasted Megatron into the Chaos Bringer to avenge Smokescreen. The End

Energon comic

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 Though the Terrorcons weren't built to withstand much punishment, Hoist and his allies found themselves being overwhelmed by their sheer numbers. Then, help arrived in an unlikely form: Megatron, revived in a new, more powerful body. Multiplicity, Pt. 3 Hot Shot was so awetruck by the villain's return that he failed to take note of several Divebomb units gunning for him. Hoist took care of these Terrorcons, and snapped Hot Shot back to reality. He confessed he was just as confused over the situation as Hot Shot was, but Megatron was giving them a fighting chance, which he wasn't about to let slip him by. Megatron was so thorough in his extermination of the Terrorcons that the horde was forced to retreat, allowing Hoist and the rest of the Autobots to live to fight another day. Multiplicity, Pt. 4

Armada cartoon

Voice actor: Dale Wilson (English), Katsuhisa Hōki (Japanese), Gerhard Acktun (German), Håkan Skoog (Swedish), Pauli Virta (Finnish), Michel Dodane (French), Luis Vicente Ivars (Castilian Spanish), Luis Lugo (Latin-American Spanish), Eduardo Dascar (Brazilian Portuguese)

When the signal released by the reactivation of the Mini-Con panels on Earth reached Cybertron, Optimus Prime quickly assembled a small team of Autobots to travel to the planet and investigate. As they were departing through the space bridge, Smokescreen came running through the crowd, intent on joining them. He leapt through the space bridge portal at the last second, just as it was closing, and as a consequence, was separated from his comrades and deposited on a different part of the planet. Underground Prehistory

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

Smokescreen traveled to the underwater city of Atlantis with the other Autobots in search of another Mini-Con. They stumbled into a Decepticon ambush, prompting Optimus to divide their forces; Smokescreen and himself pressed forward while Hot Shot and Red Alert dealt with Megatron's goons. After the kids had safely made it inside an air pocket, Smokescreen and Optimus doubled back to help deal with the Decepticons. Once Megatron managed to grab the Mini-Con panel, Smokescreen and the others were forced to leave empty-handed as the entire underwater structure began collapsing on itself. Ruin

When the Autobots' alarm sounded, signaling that another Mini-Con had been detected, Smokescreen griped that it seemed to be coming from the middle of the ocean again. Thankfully, the Mini-Con was actually on a small volcanic island. Which erupted in the middle of the retrieval mission. Red Alert tasked Smokescreen to dig a trench to change the path of the lava flow, so the Autobots wouldn't get hit by it as they fought with the Decepticons. With their position secured, the Autobots were able to retrieve the Mini-Con for themselves. Prehistory

When the Decepticons managed to invade the Autobots' base, Smokescreen managed to temporarily confound them with a... smokescreen. Each intruder was then split up and taken care of individually. Smokescreen sneaked up on Demolishor and tied him up with his grapple-cable. He then left him hanging until the Decepticons warped away. Swoop

Say hello to my little friend?

Smokescreen retrieved a Mini-Con partner for himself while Hot Shot held off the Decepticons with the Star Saber among some rocky peaks. Though he was quite content with having Liftor at his side, he left him behind during their next confrontation against the Decepticons. At that time, Scavenger's interference cost the Autobots a victory and a Mini-Con. Overmatch

When the next Mini-Con was detected, Smokescreen was of the opinion that the children shouldn't continue to accompany the Autobots into the field. He was outvoted, though he let the other Autobots take on the passengers. During the subsequent clash, he took on Cyclonus until the Decepticon ditched the battle to pursue Hot Shot. With no one to oppose him, Smokescreen unearthed Spiral while Optimus and Red Alert forced Megatron to warp away.Gale

Smokescreen and Optimus searched for a Mini-Con panel while Hot Shot held the Decepticons at bay with the Star Saber. The Autobots were left to deal with a more dire situation when Hot Shot and Sideways were teleported away alongside the retreating Decepticons. Unable to pinpoint the Decepticons' base on the Moon, Smokescreen and the others had little choice but wait at their own headquarters. Hot Shot eventually returned, without his sword, and Sideways was revealed to be a traitor. Credulous Due to the Star Saber being in Decepticon hands, the Autobots were dealt a series of defeats. After their latest beat-down, Smokescreen got himself fixed up by Liftor. The Autobots still trudged forward in their mission though, their next search taking them to a foggy forest. There, Smokescreen and Red Alert came across Starscream, and jumped at the opportunity to take his sword while they had him at a disadvantage. Demolishor turned up and foiled their attempt at recovering the Star Saber. With the sword still in Decepticon hands, the Autobots returned to base empty-handed once more. Afterwards, Scavenger turned up at the Autobots' hq, and Optimus informed his troops that though he had been posing as a Decepticon, Scavenger was really his double-agent. Conspiracy

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

Smokescreen went on a camping trip with the boys and Red Alert to wind down a little. When he saw Rad try his hand at fishing, Smokescreen joined in, and surprisingly managed to catch them dinner. Later, a severe downpour caused a mudslide, which swept over Red Alert while Carlos and a younger boy were trapped inside him. Smokescreen tried digging them out, but it was slow work while he was stuck in vehicle mode; the local news network was filming the scene, and he couldn't risk blowing his cover under the circumstances. He and Scavenger managed to dig them out just as a flash flood came bearing down on their position, and all filmed footage of the Autobots was luckily lost. Vacation

When Blurr joined the Autobots' ranks, Smokescreen taunted Hot Shot over it, as the two 'bots clearly did not get along. This eventually caused problems though, as Hot Shot and Blurr fought each other more than the Decepticons when the last member of the Skyboom Shield trio activated on his own, and sped away from anyone approaching him. Smokescreen was tasked with helping the two of them capturing the Mini-Con while the rest of the team held the Decepticons at bay. He used Liftor to activate his crane cannon, which brought down both Starscream and Sideways as they tried to grab Downshift themselves. He was unable to bring down Cyclonus unfortunately, who claimed the Mini-Con for the Decepticons. Reinforcement

Smokescreen joined Blurr and Hot Shot during a training exercise. Though Blurr told him he wouldn't be able to keep up with them through their obstacle course, Smokescreen proved him wrong by simply muscling his way through the obstacles instead of dodging them. Their training was then interrupted; the Autobots received a message from Megatron, issuing a challenge. They would meet each other in battle in order to bring an end to the war. Though the Decepticons had both the Skyboom Shield and the Star Saber, the Autobots managed to snatch away the former, thanks in part to Smokescreen running interference. Scavenger heaped praise upon him for his contribution to their victory after the Decepticons retreated. Decisive Battle

The Autobots began building their battle strategies around the use of the Skyboom Shield, and Smokescreen was given the important task of carrying it, as he could quickly pass the shield on to whoever needed it with his "Long-arm Launcher." The strategy was unfortunately preempted when the bulk of the Autobot forces stepped into a Decepticon trap, which sent them all over the globe through a series of Warp Gates. Worse yet, they couldn't reconvene while their communication system was being scrambled. When they finally managed to get their transmissions sorted out, the Autobots regrouped and Smokescreen pulled off his part in the newly established tactic without a hitch. Thanks to the Autobots' teamwork, Megatron was forced to abandon several of his Mini-Cons into Autobot custody. Vow

While Smokescreen and the other Autobots were away, Alexis, Carlos, and Rad traveled into a digital realm and met with an evil force. The Autobots returned to base and safely extricated the kids before said force could do them any harm though. Chase

Smokescreen henceforth balanced his roles of both carrier of the Skyboom Shield and sniper. Once the Skyboom Shield was launched to whoever needed it most, Smokescreen would supply them with cover fire. The strategy went off without a hitch in the fight for Prowl's Mini-Con panel, where Smokescreen helped Optimus hold his own against both Megatron and Starscream. Smokescreen soon became overconfident, believing the Autobots no longer needed to fear losing the war... Though their strategy nearly failed when the Autobots had to deal with Thrust's superior tactical prowess. They would have lost had Jetfire not joined the battle at a crucial moment. Tactician However, Optimus Prime was badly damaged in the fight, so Jetfire took over as leader. But Jetfire wound up flying into another one of Thrust's ambushes, prompting Hot Shot, Blurr, and Smokescreen to try and assist the airborne Autobot from a nearby island... only for them to wind up in a secondary ambush set up by the Decepticon tactician! The Decepticons immediately took out Smokescreen's crane-arm, disallowing him from passing the Skyboom Shield over to Jetfire. The three grounded Autobots were forced to crowd behind the shield as their enemies rained fire down upon them. In little time, Megatron overpowered Smokescreen and demanded he hand over the Skyboom to Decepticon custody. Though the situation looked grim, Optimus Prime arrived, repaired, just in time to combine with Jetfire and save the day. Linkup

In a rare moment of downtown, Jetfire and Smokescreen relaxed by having an arm wrestling competition. Smokescreen lost several matches in a row, though he tried to play it off as his arm "falling asleep" instead of admitting that Jetfire was the stronger of the pair. Later, Smokescreen and the Autobots squared off against the Decepticons on a beachfront, Detection but Smokescreen wasn't able to help out much once Tidal Wave joined to conflict. He instead laid down some cover fire while other players tried their hand at taking on the colossal Decepticon. Awakening Tidal Wave, of course, shot back. Though Smokescreen helped by first passing the Skyboom Shield to Hot Shot, and then to Optimus in the sky, he was kept from further interfering with the Decepticons' attempt to eliminate Optimus by a team of Mini-Cons led by Demolishor. The timely appearance of Space Mini-Con Team, and their combination into the Requiem Blaster saved the day for the Autobots; with the weapon in Optimus's hands, the Decepticons were forced to retreat. Desperate

The Requiem Blaster was a source of argument for the Autobots, however. With this new weapon, several of them were eager to storm the Decepticon base in the hopes of ending the war. Before a decision could be reached, it was discovered that the Space Mini-Con Team had run off along with the kids. The Autobots went out looking for them, though Smokescreen wound up getting stuck in traffic during the search. He rejoined Optimus later in the day, once the Autobot leader had already found the runaways and dealt with Thrust, who had attacked them. The Autobots all agreed that the Mini-Cons would be free to decide for themselves whether or not they would take part in an attack on the Decepticons. Runaway

After attempting to have the Autobots bring the Requiem Blaster into the open, only to realize they had purposely left it behind, the Decepticons launched an all-out attack on their enemies' base. There, Smokescreen had been tasked with guarding the Mini-Cons, and had to contend with Megatron on his own. As the Autobots realized they had been outmaneuvered and warped back, Megatron forced the Space Mini-Con Team to form the Requiem Blaster. Then, Megatron prepared to fire the super-weapon at the Autobots, only for Smokescreen to use his towline to pull the Requiem Blaster's barrel away from his friends, toward himself. To everyone's shock, the gun's terrible beam cut straight through Smokescreen, burying him into a wall. Megatron then turned to Optimus Prime, intending to finish what he started, but Smokescreen staggered out of the hole and collapsed to his knees. 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

"This is my strong hand."

Fortunately, despite Smokescreen's body being ninety percent unsalvageable, his spark was left undamaged. Red Alert rebuilt him into a new body and he returned just in time to stop Hot Shot and the recently defected Starscream from killing each other (Hot Shot still thought Smokescreen needed avenging until his reappearance). Using data provided by Starscream, the Autobots then opened a warp gate to the Moon to storm the Decepticon camp. Regeneration The attack on the Decepticon moonbase begun with the Autobots besieging Megatron's throne room, where Smokescreen blocked a shot from the Requiem Blaster with the Skyboom Shield. The battle then spread throughout the Decepticons' base. Smokescreen came across Tidal Wave stuck in a doorway, and managed to take a single potshot at the titan, inadvertently freeing him. Tidal Wave "thanked" Smokescreen by clocking him in the face. The Decepticon-held Mini-Cons were then rounded-up and warped back to the Autobots' base, alongside their rescuers. Rescue

When a Mini-Con was detected on Mars, Smokescreen handed the Skyboom Shield over to Jetfire, as he and Starscream were the only two capable of traveling to the other planet. Mars

Anime robots cry a lot.

Smokescreen helped the Autobots in the construction of a spaceship. The ship was in the final stages of construction when Billy and Fred reported that they had seen Starscream "chase off" Thrust after the Decepticon had asked him to steal the Skyboom Shield. As it turns out, Dirt Boss, Downshift, and Mirage were nowhere to be found just then. Smokescreen was among those who threw around accusations that Starscream had complied with Thrust's request, but the conversation was cut short when the Decepticons attacked. Smokescreen drove out to meet them, and while he fought, Hot Shot brought him the Skyboom Shield; it turned out the kids had been taking the Mini-Cons for a walk. Making a note to apologize to Starscream later, Smokescreen brought the shield to Optimus to help him against Tidal Wave. But after he had tossed the shield over, Starscream snatched it, and took both it and the Star Saber back with him to the Decepticons' side. Crack Afterwards, the Autobots scrambled to deal with the Decepticons' new super-weapon, the Hydra Cannon, powered by the stolen Mini-Con weapons. Ultimately, Smokescreen was only able to watch from afar as Optimus gave up his life to block its destructive power from reaching the Earth. Crisis Over the following week, the Autobots tried their best to carry on without Optimus. Though Smokescreen became short-tempered and irritable, Hot Shot was hit hardest by the loss of the Autobot leader, and his outbursts threatened to tear apart the already strained team. Scavenger took it upon himself to knock some sense back into Hot Shot, while Smokescreen and the others watched from afar. Though it took the Mini-Cons stepping in, Hot Shot's temper eventually cooled. Smokescreen then watched as Jetfire handed over command of the Autobots to Hot Shot. With their morale renewed, the Autobots redoubled their efforts to finish the Axalon and catch up to the Decepticons. Remorse Smokescreen watched confusedly as the Mini-Cons protested Hot Shot's decision to leave the children behind while the Autobots pursued the Decepticons. Hot Shot eventually relented, and the Autobots, Mini-Cons, and children all boarded the newly completed Axalon and begun their journey to Cybertron. Depart

"You better have those papers on my desk by Friday, Hoist!"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm working on it."

Smokescreen eventually decided to go by the name "Hoist," feeling the new name suited his new body. A space-battle against the Decepticons ensued shortly afterwards, during which Optimus was revived by the Mini-Cons through the Matrix. Miracle No sooner had the Autobots welcomed their leader back than their ship was pulled through a worm hole to a dead planet, where they were menaced by a twisted clone of Optimus named Nemesis Prime. Optimus had Hoist launch him and his new weapons system, Overload, from the Axalon so that he could end his dark doppelgänger's threat. Puppet

By the time the Autobots had repaired the Axalon and arrived over Cybertron, the Decepticons had managed to take over the planet. Hoist and Scavenger fought through Decepticons tank troops on the planet's surface, while a black hole appeared in the sky. The Mini-Con continued to display their mysterious powers, and helped keep the black hole at bay. Uprising Hoist and the rest of Optimus's crew were forced to remain in orbit on the Axalon while Jetfire scouted Cybertron's surface for a safe landing zone. When Hoist learned that Hot Shot went off on his own to meet Galvatron face-to-face, he tried to convince the others to go after the young 'bot, but was overruled. It was deemed more important that the remaining Autobots stay together in preparation for Unicron's arrival. The Axalon then received a transmission from Jetfire, pointing them towards a region where they could set themselves down. Thanks to the Mini-Cons providing them cover with illusory copies of their ship, the Autobots managed to bypass the Decepticons' defenses and make planetfall. Dash Hoist then helped Scavenger spread the word to the Autobot masses that they were being evacuated from the planet. Though they met with resistance, informing the Autobot generals that the order came directly from Optimus helped convince them to clear out. Drift As more Autobots became assembled before him, Hoist passed on the message that their enemies were no longer the Decepticons, but Unicron and his minions. Portent

The Autobots put in action a plan to force Galvatron into a situation where Optimus would have the opportunity to reason with him. Hoist and the other Autobots forestalled the Decepticons while Optimus drew their leader away from the battleground. The Autobots' and Decepticons' firefight was interrupted by an energy discharge from Unicron, and soon thereafter Galvatron was swayed by Starscream's death to unite his forces with Optimus's. Cramp After barely escaping Cybertron's surface aboard the Axalon, Hoist attended a formal ceremony where Prime and Galvatron shook hands, uniting the Autobots and Decepticons into an armada that struck at Unicron together. Alliance All attempts to damage Unicron proved futile. Determining their best plan of attack laid in attacking Unicron from within, Optimus and Galvatron infiltrated their gargantuan foe's body. Meanwhile, Hoist and the rest of the troops kept Unicron occupied with their ships, in the hopes of forestalling Cybertron's annihilation. Union No matter how much damage they inflicted upon him, however, Unicron would regenerate his wounds. Origin

Thankfully, the team inside of Unicron succeeded in retrieving the Mini-Con weapons, de-powering the Chaos Bringer. The Transformers then scrambled to eliminate Unicron before he recovered, but this proved unnecessary; once Galvatron sacrificed himself, there was no longer enough hatred in the universe to sustain Unicron, and he vanished from existence. The Transformers' war now at an end, Hoist and his fellow Cybertronians stood united as a race, and begun rebuilding their war-torn planet. Mortal Combat

Panini Armada comic

IT'S CLOBBERIN' TIME!!!

In the distant past, Smokescreen defended the main Autobot base on Cybertron from a Decepticon attack, and retreated when it turned out the base was lined with explosives. Counter-Strike!

Stationed on Cybertron while Optimus Prime went to Earth, Smokescreen and Scavenger were sent to the alien planet's moon by Jetfire to stop the Decepticons from searching for Mini-Cons there. Upon arrival, they didn't have time to do much other than complain about space bridges before they came under attack by Mini-Con-augmented Decepticons. The outgunned Autobots fled, but Smokescreen was shot and injured by Demolishor, who decided to end things by running him over. Luckily, the helpful Mini-Con Liftor showed up and power-linked with Smokescreen, allowing him simply to punch the Decepticon tank aside. With Scavenger also obtaining a Mini-Con of his own, the Decepticons gave up on the search and retreated. Between Two Worlds!

Later, the Decepticons returned to the Moon, where they constructed a base and planned to fire missiles at the Autobot base on Earth. Smokescreen and Scavenger were again summoned to help out (or maybe they never left the Moon to begin with), but the security around the Decepticons' missile silo was too much for them. However, the security around their space bridge controls was minimal, so the Autobots devised a new plan. When the missiles were fired, Smokescreen and Scavenger linked the Decepticons' space bridge to the Autobots' one on Earth, allowing them to transport the warheads straight back to the Decepticon base. Victorious, Smokescreen drove away as the base went up in flames. Earthshaker!

Transformers Legends anthology

Smokescreen was part of the Autobot forces during a battle in Yellowstone National Park. After Optimus Prime warned that the area was too geologically unstable to battle in, he suggested that they find a more stable battleground. Lonesome Diesel

Universe comic

You mean the guy from 1985 doesn't win?! How often does that happen?

A Smokescreen hailed from Aurex 204.0 Kappa and was abducted by Unicron to be one of his Minions in the Cauldron. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/09/14 When several abductees from Primax 797.18 Epsilon arrived in the Cauldron, they witnessed Smokescreen engaged in a death-duel with another Smokescreen within the Cauldron arena, deep inside the shattered remnants of Unicron. Both robots' minds corrupted by the dark god, crane-Smokescreen mercilessly killed car-Smokescreen, gaining in power, while Unicron fed on the defeated robot's released spark. Abduction

Smokescreen escaped the Cauldron and returned to his home reality along with a Red Alert and Firebot who were unable to return to their own home reality. Haunted by what he had done under Unicron's influence, Smokescreen found it therapeutic to help Red Alert and Firebot adapt to their new home. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/09/14

Games

Transformers: Battle Tactics

Why the long face?

Armada Smokescreen participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! His Mini-Con, Liftor, could attach to Smokescreen in the latter's vehicle mode. He was an Epic character who was available as a reward to 55 leagues in the "Armada: Episode 3: Between Two Worlds" event. Transformers: Battle Tactics

Toys

Armada

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

• Smokescreen with Liftor (Super-Con Class, 2002)

• Takara name: Grap
• Takara ID number: MC-04
• Takara release date: December 26, 2002
• Accessories: Missile
• Known designers: Aaron Archer (Hasbro), Shogo Hasui (Takara)

Sold in the second wave of Armada Super-Cons, 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. He also features an opening hatch on his roof (with an Autobot symbol on top) that reveals a molded gear underneath; it's unknown what the actual intent of this was. Smokescreen's head is also linked to an internal rotating mechanism with the crane boom, making his head turn in the same direction whenever the boom is rotated. The head is also on a separately-ratcheted joint, allowing the head to move independently of the boom as well.

Attaching a Mini-Con (such as his pack-in partner Liftor) 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. This launcher can sometimes leave the figure unbalanced, as it becomes too large for the figure to hold up while deployed in robot mode. The lack of any flip-out heels also causes balancing issues. One can plug the Skyboom Shield onto the extended crane boom to replicate the various scenes from the cartoon where he'd launch it to his teammates.

Unusually for this line, there are no obvious differences between the Hasbro Armada Smokescreen and Takara Legend of the Microns "Grap" toys, except the Takara version has clearer paint on his Autobot symbol.

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

• More information on Smokescreen at TFU.info

• Grap & Race Micron (Multi-pack, 2002)

• Sonokong name: Smoky & Race
• ID number: MS-02
• Takara release date: December 26, 2002
• Accessories: Missile

In Japan, "Grap" was available both as an individual and in a multi-pack with the Race Microns. All of the toys in the set are identical to their individual Japanese releases.

This set was also released by Sonokong in Korea, as part of their Eunha Yeongung: Cybertron toyline, with no changes other than the packaging. This was the only way to obtain the set in Korea.

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

(Takara version pictured)

• Hoist with Refute (Super-Con Class, 2003)

• Takara name: Grap Super Mode
• Takara ID number: MC-11
• Takara release date: August 28, 2003
• Known designers: Takashi Kunihiro (Takara)

Smokescreen returned in a new body with the name "Hoist", transforming into a Cybertronic excavator, released in the sixth wave of Armada Super-Cons (the first wave to feature the "Unicron Battles" branding). Plugging a Mini-Con onto his right arm unlocks his shovel-arm punch attack, which is activated by pressing in the plunger on the "back" of the arm, although it can also be unlocked manually without a Mini-Con as well. This feature remains unlocked until the block is manually returned to its latched position. For some reason, Hoist's head is based on Beast Wars Dinobot.^[1]

He comes with a new Mini-Con partner Refute, who, in Japan, is the upgraded form of Liftor, dubbed "Spark Lift".

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

This mold has a common misassembly error; his left arm's ratchet-joint can end up off a notch, preventing the arm from "clicking" to a proper level-with-the-ground position in vehicle mode. This misassembly error is not present on the Takara release.

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

• More information on Hoist at TFU.info

Also known as "Grapventure"

• Grap Super Mode & Adventure Micron (Multi-pack, 2003)

• Release date: August 28, 2003
• ID number: MS-07

In Japan, Grap Super Mode was available both separately and in a multi-pack with the Adventure Microns. All of the toys in the set were identical to their individual releases.

Built to Rule!

• Smokescreen w/ Liftor (2003)

• Accessories: Missile

One of the smaller-scale Built to Rule! sets, Smokescreen can be rebuilt from a truck-crane sorta resembling the original toy into what can charitably be called a robot mode, with the core "Trans-Skeleton" actually doing a little bit of traditional transforming. 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

Universe (2003)

• Smokescreen with Liftor vs. Ransack with Refute (Battle in a Box, 2004)

• Accessories: Missile

A blue and yellow redeco of his first toy, this Universe version of Smokescreen was only available in a "market six" Battle in a Box set.

He was packed in with his Mini-Con partner Liftor, facing off against the Decepticon Ransack and his Mini-Con Refute.

• More information on Universe Smokescreen at TFU.info

Merchandise

McDonald's

• Smokescreen (Happy Meal, 2002)
  • Accessories: Crane arm

One of eight McDonald's 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.

He has a Powerlinx post on his left shoulder which you can attach Mini-Cons to, though its main purpose is allow him to combine with the other Autobots from the set to form Mighty Robot. He also has a Mini-Con Powerlinx port on the bottom on his feet/ vehicle mode which allows him to activate Mini-Con features on larger figures.

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

Super Collection Figure

Aw, Grap.

• Grap (2003)
  • Act: 10
  • Accessories: Stand

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. Due to his top-heavy build and very small feet, he has difficulty standing on his own... not helped by the fact that Act 10 uses much softer plastic than the previous Acts, meaning his waist-pegs give way easier. The included display stand doesn't help much, as his wide stance keeps him from planting both feet evenly on the stand.

The pewter version has an additional potential problem with connector peg breakage, due to said pegs often getting a layer of pewter paint before being forced into a socket, leading to sticking and tearing. Care should be used when moving or removing parts; shaving down the socket interior with a thin hobby knife is usually sufficient to fix the issue.

Transformers Mini Car Collection

• Grap (die-cast vehicle, 2003)

French die-cast model producers Majorette teamed with Kabaya to produce the Transformers Mini Car Collection, a line of Armada-themed die-cast vehicles, all of which were redecos of pre-existing Majorette toys. Smokescreen was a redeco of Majorette toy #283—a GMC Brigadier Crane Truck—now bearing the Legends of the Microns logo, along with an image of Smokescreen’s robot mode on its hood. The toy also features an articulated crane cab, arm, and hook. Also included is a pack of gum.

Notes

Smokescreen

• Designer Aaron Archer envisioned Smokescreen as being like the Thing,^[2] but ultimately considers Smokescreen to be his "bottom of the barrel", blaming the fact that it was the last toy in the wave to be designed. He also regrets giving him the name "Smokescreen".^[3] It was implied by a Hasbro representative at BotCon 2002 or OTFCC 2003 that Smokescreen was not the name they intended for the character (the ones they proposed had not passed trademark examinations), suggesting they "borrowed" the Smokescreen name from the already-in-development Alternators toy of the original Smokescreen because it had passed legal clearances and they needed to call the Armada character something.
• In his comics portrayal, Smokescreen is shown to often have his crane flipped and folded behind his back, making it far less cumbersome.
• Smokescreen's two-pack Universe bio with Ransack appears to take a lot of inspiration from Generation 1 Grapple's bio and highlight episode "The Master Builders", as Smokescreen apparently likes to build parks, buildings and sculptures, and "was once responsible for some of the most amazing buildings on Cybertron"; taking a lot of pride in his work. Given Smokescreen's Japanese name is "Grap" (short for "Grapple"), it's likely that this was the intention.
  • This is also quite the contrast compared to his original Armada bio published on Hasbro.com back in the day, which pretty much describes him as a walking wrecking ball, tearing down any Decepticons in his path.
• Smokescreen made a few Easter egg cameo appearances in the 2005-2018 comics from IDW Publishing. A Cybertronian based on his Hoist form appears in More than Meets the Eye #35 and Lost Light #2, and the latter issue also contains a Cybertronian based on his Smokescreen form. Meanwhile, the one-issue character Hefter was given Smokescreen's colors as an homage by the issue's colorist.

Hoist

• A piece of behind-the-scenes speculation that has yet to be confirmed is 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. Unlike other cases in the Unicron Trilogy where separate-character toys and redecos were repurposed as upgraded forms for existing characters in the respective cartoons, Hoist's Hasbro.com bio was explicitly written to reflect his cartoon origins, making it harder to know what the original intent was for the toy.
• The Hoist mold was originally planned to have a gear system like that of Cyclonus that would activate gear-driven Mini-Con gimmicks (like those of Refute and the Adventure Mini-Con Team) when his shovel rod was pushed.^[4][5] Refute retains the gear gimmick, but is too big to fit onto Cyclonus. Hoist's card art also depicts a Cyclonus-styled "clip" in place of the final toy's Mini-Con peg.
• The "S.D. 74" printed on the Hasbro version of the Hoist mold is an in-joke, according to Aaron Archer. He had pointedly and repeatedly refused to explain the joke for the longest time, so its meaning remained a mystery for several years. An initial explanation of sorts was first offered at BotCon 2008: The marking 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. A second elaboration was finally given at BotCon 2016, at which Archer hinted that it was merely the crane's model number, and that the "S.D. 74" on the toy was Archer's homage to that night. He also revealed that he had kept the crane's key as a keepsake, which they later used as a reference, matching the toy's "S.D. 74" font to the key's font.

Foreign names

Smokescreen

• Japanese: Grap (グラップ Gurappu)
• Hungarian: Füstfüggöny
• Korean: Smoky (스모키 Seumoki)

Hoist

• Japanese: Grap Super Mode (グラップ スーパーモード Gurappu Sūpā Mōdo)
• Hungarian: Csörlő
• Korean: Smoky (스모키 Seumoki)

References