Cyberverse is a fairly new subline of Transformers replacing the Legends class as the small, relatively cheap figures who are essentially the modern versions of the Minibots we all (most of us?) grew up with. There are "Legion" and "Commander" subclasses within Cyberverse itself, meaning five dollar and ten dollar figures basically. Today I'm going to show you Evac, a brand new Legion sized Autobot with an interesting back story.
Though the name has been used a couple of times in the past, this Evac is a brand new character. And I hope you like him at three inches tall, because unless you go to Singapore, that's all you're getting. You see, Universal Studios Singapore has a movie-verse based Transformers park ride and the cars patrons ride in are basically Evac's vehicle mode. And while the Cyberverse version of Evac is a US market release, the park is the only place where you can purchase the larger, more involved deluxe class Evac. A bit of a tease if you ask me, but Hasbro seems pretty intent on doing that to US collectors recently. If you've seen the ridiculous amount of Asian market only exclusives they have planned for this year, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
So how is he even though he's a runt and his big brother in Singapore never calls? Not too shabby really. He has ball joints at his shoulders and hips, his shoulders can swing forward and back a bit and his knees bend. Evac is primarily a really vibrant blue with silver, red and a bit of yellow highlighting areas. His face is a light grey with sky blue eyes and a small red Autobot symbol gracing the right side of the chest. A drawback to an otherwise very nice robot mode is that there is no way to lock his chest down, if you try to lift his arms, the chest will rise right up with them. A minor issue, but I feel like one simple tab could have remedied this.
The only other complaint I have with Evac is his weapon. Like his case mate Soundwave, Evac doesn't get a new weapon like the rest of the mostly Prime based Legion figures he ships with, but gets Arcee's dual-barreled blaster instead. The weapon is cast from an odd plastic; very slightly rubbery but still stiff enough that I'm afraid the barrels might break off if stressed too much. I'm always a fan of translucent weaponry though and the idea behind the weapons in this line is neat. Each figure's weapon has additional posts or the occasional hole in addition to the traditional handle you'd expect on a gun, allowing you to combine various weapons in a variety of configurations. Evac's blaster for instance has an additional post at the back of the rounded shield like portion and a hole through the center for attaching other bits. Weapons from earlier Cyberverse figures are compatible with these as well, I tested Commander class Guzzle's weapons with this one and built quite the cannon.
Evac's vehicle mode is very interesting, I can easily see this blown up to life size and fitting maybe four or so people in it as it runs through the ride's track. Outside the context of the ride, it looks like a very futuristic car/SUV hybrid. With a raised body, flattened rear spoiler and a giant engine in the back, this vehicle looks like it could really build up some speed, even over rough terrain. The silver front grill has central details that could be interpreted as headlights or weapons and there are additional silver barrels that really look like weapons protruding from where most cars would have headlights. Where non Mad-Maxian cars would have them at least.
Here's a somewhat blurry rear shot. From this angle, you can see the giant turbo engine and fat tires. Since I bought him I've thought Evac's vehicle mode looked somewhat like Deckard's Spinner in Blade Runner, but looking at this angle, I can't believe I never saw how much it also resembles the Tumbler Batmobile from the Dark Knight trilogy.
Some of you may be wondering why I mentioned disliking his weapon without going into why. Well that's because it's not the weapon's use in robot mode that bugs me, it's how it interacts with Evac in vehicle mode. As the handle of the blaster is too short, most ways of attaching it results in it either striking his front fender or rubbing against one of his rear wheels, preventing it from turning. Again, this is a minor issue but it would be nice if it could attach in a way that didn't impair him. As easy fix (at least in my mind) would be to just swap Evac and Soundwave's weapon choices and recolor them in the correct colors.
Doesn't that look better? Just imagine the colors switched and problem solved. Plus, recoloring weapons previously only available to a specific "side" gives kids more options of play involving the weapon combination aspect. It's probably more cost feasible to simply throw a weapon in a color you've already got thousands cast in instead of paying to cast new colors, but it's a nice thought.
My final thought is that Evac is a pretty worthwhile figure. He has an interesting history, cool vehicle and robot modes and a really bright, eye-grabbing color scheme. At $5.37 at Walmart, I would recommend him if you enjoy obscure Transformers, loved Minibots as a kid or want a small, fun toy for your own kids at a reasonable price.
Though the name has been used a couple of times in the past, this Evac is a brand new character. And I hope you like him at three inches tall, because unless you go to Singapore, that's all you're getting. You see, Universal Studios Singapore has a movie-verse based Transformers park ride and the cars patrons ride in are basically Evac's vehicle mode. And while the Cyberverse version of Evac is a US market release, the park is the only place where you can purchase the larger, more involved deluxe class Evac. A bit of a tease if you ask me, but Hasbro seems pretty intent on doing that to US collectors recently. If you've seen the ridiculous amount of Asian market only exclusives they have planned for this year, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
So how is he even though he's a runt and his big brother in Singapore never calls? Not too shabby really. He has ball joints at his shoulders and hips, his shoulders can swing forward and back a bit and his knees bend. Evac is primarily a really vibrant blue with silver, red and a bit of yellow highlighting areas. His face is a light grey with sky blue eyes and a small red Autobot symbol gracing the right side of the chest. A drawback to an otherwise very nice robot mode is that there is no way to lock his chest down, if you try to lift his arms, the chest will rise right up with them. A minor issue, but I feel like one simple tab could have remedied this.
The only other complaint I have with Evac is his weapon. Like his case mate Soundwave, Evac doesn't get a new weapon like the rest of the mostly Prime based Legion figures he ships with, but gets Arcee's dual-barreled blaster instead. The weapon is cast from an odd plastic; very slightly rubbery but still stiff enough that I'm afraid the barrels might break off if stressed too much. I'm always a fan of translucent weaponry though and the idea behind the weapons in this line is neat. Each figure's weapon has additional posts or the occasional hole in addition to the traditional handle you'd expect on a gun, allowing you to combine various weapons in a variety of configurations. Evac's blaster for instance has an additional post at the back of the rounded shield like portion and a hole through the center for attaching other bits. Weapons from earlier Cyberverse figures are compatible with these as well, I tested Commander class Guzzle's weapons with this one and built quite the cannon.
Evac's vehicle mode is very interesting, I can easily see this blown up to life size and fitting maybe four or so people in it as it runs through the ride's track. Outside the context of the ride, it looks like a very futuristic car/SUV hybrid. With a raised body, flattened rear spoiler and a giant engine in the back, this vehicle looks like it could really build up some speed, even over rough terrain. The silver front grill has central details that could be interpreted as headlights or weapons and there are additional silver barrels that really look like weapons protruding from where most cars would have headlights. Where non Mad-Maxian cars would have them at least.
Here's a somewhat blurry rear shot. From this angle, you can see the giant turbo engine and fat tires. Since I bought him I've thought Evac's vehicle mode looked somewhat like Deckard's Spinner in Blade Runner, but looking at this angle, I can't believe I never saw how much it also resembles the Tumbler Batmobile from the Dark Knight trilogy.
Some of you may be wondering why I mentioned disliking his weapon without going into why. Well that's because it's not the weapon's use in robot mode that bugs me, it's how it interacts with Evac in vehicle mode. As the handle of the blaster is too short, most ways of attaching it results in it either striking his front fender or rubbing against one of his rear wheels, preventing it from turning. Again, this is a minor issue but it would be nice if it could attach in a way that didn't impair him. As easy fix (at least in my mind) would be to just swap Evac and Soundwave's weapon choices and recolor them in the correct colors.
Doesn't that look better? Just imagine the colors switched and problem solved. Plus, recoloring weapons previously only available to a specific "side" gives kids more options of play involving the weapon combination aspect. It's probably more cost feasible to simply throw a weapon in a color you've already got thousands cast in instead of paying to cast new colors, but it's a nice thought.
My final thought is that Evac is a pretty worthwhile figure. He has an interesting history, cool vehicle and robot modes and a really bright, eye-grabbing color scheme. At $5.37 at Walmart, I would recommend him if you enjoy obscure Transformers, loved Minibots as a kid or want a small, fun toy for your own kids at a reasonable price.
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