TFARCHIVE FORUMS

Took photos in bulk - will review shortly (hopefuly)!

Eee, his vehicle mode looks as lumpy and ugly as he was in the ride.

The toy absolutely looks better, though, because he actually looks like a real vehicle instead of a ride thing. He has wheels, for one.

I really like the wee guy.

I initially thought he'd be an honourary Wrecker, but he actually looks too good next to the DOTM Legion Wreckers!

Mmm, he does look far more solid than the Wreckers did... of course, his robot mode is also far more conventional than the Wreckers were!

And his alternate mode is so silly and chunky and ugly that it works for him. I think I'll be getting this toy regardless of whether he's good. The ride was a great merchandising tool, I must say. (I'm weak that way)

Name: Evac
Function: Human transporter / obliging ride cart
Subgroup: Robots in Disguise (RID) Transformers the Ride (TFTR) Cyberverse Legion Class (the new overpriced successor to Legends Class)

Right off the bat, the first legitimate question would be: ‘Who the Hell is Evac?’

Well, as it happens, this Evac is a character from Universal Studios' Transformers the Ride. In fact, he’s the integral character that folks ride in, as I am given to understand. Unusually for a character bearing the name, he does not transform into a helicopter, but instead is some form of Cybertronian transporter – conveniently perfect for transporting people. But, hey, perhaps he took the form with this in mind… I am 100% certain he bears no relation to the non-screen Evac toys that appeared in the Transformers live action movie and Revenge of the Fallen toy lines.

Anyway, there are two versions of Evac – a Deluxe Class figure exclusively available at Universal Studios, and this Legion Class figure that was released widely as part of the RID Cyberverse line – bizarrely alongside a primary cast of Prime characters, as well as two hold-overs from the Dark of the Moon (DOTM) line: Dino / Mirage and a black repaint of Soundwave.

I was attracted to the character by his aesthetics – he has a kick-ass robot design that looks at home with the DOTM Wreckers. I was therefore very happy to come across Legion Class Evac quite unexpectedly at Tesco in Inverness, and snapped him up even at the ridiculous £6.97 GBP ($11 USD) shelf price, alongside DOTM Dino. Was Evac so much a mistake as Dino? Thankfully not!

Alternate Mode:

As already mentioned, Evac transforms into some form of Cybertronian people transporter – or in reality the ride cart. He measures 2 ½” (6 cm) long, making him a rather short and stubby Legion / Legends Class figure in this mode, but he is also rather chunky so this is forgivable.

The vehicle is sleek, with lots of curves but also nice angles and detailing, resulting in a rather interesting alternate mode to look at. The rear wheels are larger than the front, and both have been moulded with gaps between the alloy spokes.

Evac is largely blue in this mode, with a silver afterburner at the rear, gunmetal canons on the front (he’s heavily armed!), an orange stripe on the rear spoiler and a giant black windscreen to allow the folks on the ride a good view of what’s going on. A red Autobot insignia is printed just off centre at the front, but isn't as clear as it could be against the blue.

Sadly Evac’s robot mode feet stick up behind the windscreen, and as far as I can gather this alternate mode is a lot chunkier than the actual ride vehicle. Still, it’s pretty neat.

As all Cyberverse figures now come with weapons, Evac has sockets for these to attach on either side. The designers have tried to be sympathetic and blend these in with the overall design, and it works to an extent, but at the end of the day they are random glaring holes. Evac comes with a double-barrelled gun in transparent red plastic, but due to the location of the sockets it can’t actually be attached to the vehicle mode and point forwards properly. Besides, it looks ridiculous, so why would you want to attach it anyway?

Evac’s vehicle mode is pretty cool, and is something quite different for your display, but it’s by no means perfect.

Robot Mode:

Evac follows a completely standard, tried and tested car-former transformation, and I for one am thankful for this given the disasters produced when designers tried to be clever with ROTF Legion Sideways / DOTM Legion Dino and (less so) with DOTM Legion Soundwave. It’s not at all original, but it damned well works.

The result is a robot mode standing the standard Legends / Legion Class 3” (7.5 cm) tall, which, as far as I can tell, does a good job resembling the character from the ride. I had originally thought Evac would fit in alongside the DOTM Legion Wreckers, but in fact he has far better proportions, while still retaining a very high level of detail. Therefore, while at home with Movieverse Legends / Legion Class figures, he’s actually somewhere in-between them and the higher standard offered by RTS and Classics-style Generations Legends Class figures.

Evac retains much of the blue of his vehicle mode, but has a lot more black thanks to his thighs, and more silver on his waist. This vehicle mode canons end up on his chest and look awesome in gunmetal grey. Dashes of red on his arms add a bit of colour, while his intricate face is painted pale silver and his eyes are delicately picked out in blue. The Autobot insignia winds up on his chest. While hardly anything original, Evac’s aesthetics are very nicely delivered with a lot of nuance.

The only negative in this mode is the kibble on the arms – large angular plates of the vehicle just hang off like a cape.

Articulation-wise, Evac is a fairly standard Legion Class figure, with ball joints at the shoulders and hips, and hinge joints at the knees (thanks to his transformation design, but making all the difference to poseability!).

And, of course, there is the giant double-barrelled transparent red gun, which Evac can hold if you are so inclined…

Overall, Legion Evac is a neat wee figure, and better than almost all Movieverse Legion / Legends Class toys. However, he is a non-entity unless you’ve been on the ride (which I can’t imagine ever doing myself unless they open one in the UK!).

Marks out of ten for the following:

Transformation Design: 5 – Legion Class Evac uses a tried and tested car-to-robot transformation. The designers haven’t tried to be clever, but they have delivered a standard transformation well.
Durability: 7 – I am concerned that Evac seems to be made largely out of rather thin and brittle plastic – he doesn’t feel as sturdy as some other Legion / Legends Class figures.
Fun: 6 – Legion Class Evac is quite good fun. He has two interesting modes, and an easy transformation to fiddle about with. However, unless you’ve been on the ride (I assume) he is sadly lacking in character. (I bet kids who’ve been on the ride will love him though – there’s a real personal connection which must be cool when you’re wee!)
Aesthetics: 8 – Legion Evac looks really interesting in both modes, and is backed with detail and a good amount of paint applications. Those canons on his chest look particularly awesome! Still, he’s let down a little by the arm kibble in robot mode.
Articulation: 5 – Legion Evac has the standard Legion / Legends Class level of articulation, so his poseability is quite limited. Fortunately he has knees, and his articulation is not hindered by any kibble.
Value/Price: 5 – Legion Class figures fetch around £7 GBP ($11 USD) at retail these days, and that’s way too much for a toy that should be priced around £4 GBP ($6.50 USD) at most in the UK. If you can’t find him at retail, Evac seems to command a premium online, costing from £9 GBP ($15 USD) upwards. I guess this must be playing on the fact he isn’t widely available at any other scale, but, frankly, he’s a non-entity and total novelty so certainly not worth inflated prices.
Overall: 6 – Legion Class Evac is a well executed and detailed small scale Transformer, playing on a time-honoured standard transformation, yet with a rather unique design. He is, however, a non-entity (unless you’ve been on the ride), and so as Legion Class is no well-and-truly overpriced at retail he’s unlikely to be first on your shopping list. He’s a definite ‘no’ at the inflated online prices – no Legion Class figure is worth those costs.

Review done - sorry for the delay!