Diaclone "Red Hoist" Quickie

Diaclone "Red Hoist" is the focus of tonight's Quickie, and Quickies are pretty much all you're gonna get this week thanks to work! This Diaclone Car Robot No.8 4WD Hilux Wrecker Type in red is, along with the "Yellow Trailbreaker" we saw yesterday, one of the most exotic original colours for the pre-Autobot cars. Released late 1982 to early 1983 in red, this Diaclone was also available in blue as a single-packed Car Robot or - more popularly - in the "Blue Hoist/Silver Skids" Wrecker and Honda Doubleset.

Diaclone "Red Hoist"

Would you unsprue the fists?

In Italy, this toy was available only in green, like Transformers Hoist, but it had the "Wrecker" text on the factory stickers, making reference to the figure's heritage, not any affiliation with a crack team of Autobot commandos! Early Japanese Takara Transformers Hoists also retained the "Wrecker" text on the factory stickers until corrected versions removed it. You may also notice the box artwork for the Diaclone Red Hoist has the silhouette of a Diaclone driver behind the windscreen. Notice also that the Diaclone artwork has his missile arm pointing downwards where TF Hoist has it angled up.

Red Wrecker with correct driver

It is important to note that the Diaclone red and blue Japanese Wreckers had different coloured rear assemblies to Transformers Hoist, a lighter yellow instead of the TF orange we've come to know so well. Of course the toy itself, being from Japan, features powerful launching springs in its arms for rocket-punch and missile-firing action. The Diaclone driver (not just pre-Hoist's, mind) has a nifty magnetic-foot feature that allows it to walk up the side of the fridge. Important, I'm sure you'll agree.

Definitely un-sprue those fists

This simply stunning deco on pre-Hoist completely sets the Diaclone apart from anything that came afterwards, even the blue deco doesn't approach this in striking quality. In recent years this figure has become very rare, to the point where I cannot even remember seeing a boxed one on eBay in the last 3 years, but when I bought mine originally, they were not considered among the rarer variants from Diaclone. $300 in 2003 had become $500 in 2011 and $1500 in 2013. Shocking, really. The black knees and thighs create a delightful contrast with the chrome and red sections. With all attachments, this is one of the most breathtaking Diaclone figures I have ever seen in the flesh.

Diaclone exotica

C'mon E-Hobby!

Yes, I'm showing these two crazy Hiluxes together again, but I feel they make a tremendous pairing and embody the allure of Diaclone, especially for those of us who came upon them via a Transformers childhood, then a collector's adulthood. But, by no means, do you need one to validate the other. As standalone figures they are more than impressive enough. I've owned this exact Diaclone Red Hoist twice already, but I suspect there won't be a third time, even though i dream of a day when I can rebuild my Car Robot display...and even complete it. I may have gotten 4 figures for the Diaclones I've sold, but I have no intention of paying that myself for them again in future.

You can read more on Red Hoist HERE.

All the best
Maz