Evac's alternate mode is a rescue helicopter. Compared to other helicopter Transformers, this mode is very good; most other Transformers with this kind of alt mode have obvious robot extras and the like, but Evac has relatively few. The only hint that he's a robot comes from the rear section of the main body of the helicopter, where there are a few slight gaps in the general shape of the vehicle as well as some obvious panels and his robot hips. Really, if what becomes the knees in robot mode had extended up farther to hide the hips in this mode, even this area of the helicopter would have looked pretty seamless for a non-Alternator Transformer. One other slight downside to this mode is that the landing gear are kinda weak; for a Voyager-class Transformer, I would expect the landing gear to have actual wheels on them instead of just details to look like wheels, and the latter is the case on Evac-- the landing gear is also a bit small proportionally as well. Otherwise, this mode is one of the best helicopter modes I've seen, with great proportions and a adequately realistic feel to it. The cockpit windows are transparent with seats and a control panel molded inside, there's little spinning rear propellers in the tail, and a good amount of mold detailing (although not an above-average amount). There's also pretty good paint detailing to help break up all the safety orangish-yellow, and the white, blue, and greyish blue go reasonably well with the orangish-yellow. The color scheme is certainly a realistic one for a rescue helicopter, though when compared to other Transformers' schemes, it's a tad loud-- a good repaint would probably bump this mold up on the buy-o-meter a little more. Evac has not one, not two, but THREE gimmicks! First, if you press in the tab on the side of the helicopter's "roof", the main propeller spins, and pretty well, too. Second, you can pull out the winch on the side of the helicopter, then press the red button on it to retract the hook. (It retracts a bit TOO fast, though-- it's practically instantaneous, I'd like to actually see the thing retract in a more realistic fashion. The winch rope could also stand to be a little longer, too.) And finally, if you insert Evac's Cyber Key into the slot behind his main propeller, two fireable missile launchers flip out from the sides! They do get in the way of the propeller-spinning tab, but this is a small downside. Also noticeable on Evac is his lack of electronics, something that has occured rarely in a $20 Transformer up to this point since the turn of the century, though I don't particularly miss them.
    Evac's robot mode is also one of the best of any Transformer with his alt mode, and differentiates itself a bit more from previous helicopter by having the tail split into halves behind the shoulders rather than just fold down the backside. The tail halves can either extend out to the sides of the shoulders or fold down so that they stick out from the sides of the body-- both configurations look alright, but I like the extended-behind-the-shoulders configuration better, as I think it complements the mode a bit more. Evac has great proportions in his robot mode-- the only thing that's a little off is that his upper legs are too short, but given the transformation, lengthening them would have made them more obvious in helicopter mode, so I can see why this wasn't done. Evac's also got outstanding articulation-- he can move into pretty much any configuration your heart could desire (as long as you're being reasonable for a $20 toy, of course-- he obviously can't pick his nose). The winch and propeller on the back of his arms can get in the way of arm articulation slightly if you've got his tail halves extended behind his shoulders, however. His chest and shoulders also have some GREAT paint and mold detailing, and I love his the design on his chest almost looks like a winch hook. I'm not fond of his face, however-- the "helmet" around it is molded fine, and the eyes have a great light piping effect, but the nose is too long and the determined look is a bit too exaggerated, with the bags under his eyes too pronounced. Given that his lower face sticks out a bit from his eyes, it almost looks like he's got a monkey face, in fact. Another slight downside to this mode is that the Cyber Key-activated missile launchers only point upwards in this mode in their default configuration-- you can partially unhook them from the backside and point them forwards over his head, but this looks rather odd.
    Evac is a great helicopter Transformer design-- one of the best (if not THE best) there's ever been. He's got some small drawbacks, like his odd robot face and a few small gaps in his vehicle mode, but otherwise he's amazing. Highly recommended-- though, unless you're a completist, you may want to get an Evac repaint coming on down the line instead of this initial release, since I imagine his color scheme will be better on a repaint.

Review by Beastbot

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