S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Evol, Phase 1 2 3 Set Gallery

The Evol Driver. The weapon which the alien menace Evolt used to destroy Mars. A scheme that has taken over 20 years to repair and retrieve it, has finally paid off. With it, he has access to his true form and full powers once more. Shedding the skin of his Blood Stalk persona, the Pandora Box is within Kamen Rider Evol's grasp! But not before the heroes of Earth stand up to him. But can the Rider System outlast that which it was created from? Can the Kamen Riders defeat this eternal evil? Or will they only serve to make him stronger?

"Cobra! Dragon! Rabbit! Evolution!"

Packaging
Once more the two-tone packaging of the Build series returns. There isn't a ton of variety in this box design but it's aesthetically pleasing to line them all up together on my storage shelves. Evol's box, just by the nature of the red/blue color scheme does look very similar to Great Cross-Z, which is appropriate given the connections of the characters. And given that Evol is such a gorgeous suit, it's hard to argue with any of those stock photos adorning the box as well.

Accessories
This go around I'm doing my review a bit backwards so to speak. Instead of examining the figure first, then it's accessories, we'll do the parts first, then the forms we can create with them.

1 - set of Evol Dragon Form parts. This include the gorgeous Evol Dragon head, itself a more or less direct repack of the head that came with Great Cross-Z. The shade of red used here appears slightly darker, but that could vary figure to figure. We also get some new blue shoulder pads, again borrowed straight from Great Cross-Z. Finally we also get the Dragon Evol Bottle to use in the Evol Driver for this form. At this scale, some of the mechanical detailing of Evol's bottles can look a bit soft, but overall I think they've done a wonderful job.

1 - Set of Evol Rabbit Form parts. This includes another new head, itself a modification of the standard Build Rabbit/Tank head, just with a mirrored rabbit visor instead of an asymmetrical one. Evol's gold and blue lend themselves well to this head sculpt. The shoulder pads included are identical to builds, they're just both red this time with gold trim. I appreciate that in keeping with the diagonal design of the helmet, that the right shoulder pad also retains the triangular sculpt on both sides. To finish this form off we also have the included Rabbit Evol Bottle.

1 - Evol Bottle holster. Nigh identical to the bottle holsters the other riders in the line have come with, this one is really only necessary for a complete Phase 3/Evol Rabbit look. A holster appears on Evol's hip holding the Cobra & Dragon bottles after his second transformation into Phase 3. In the same episode that this occurs (38) the holster then disappears as Evol assumes his Black Hole form, and it's never actually seen again. As neither the Dragon nor Rabbit forms ever appear again after this set of episodes. So even including the holster with this figure at all was a nice extra touch that Tamashii really didn't have to do.

7 - additional hands. As expressive as Evolt/Evol/Blood Stalk is as a character, I'm really pleased by the hand selection here. 2 open expressive hands, 2 more relaxed waving type hands, 2 hands ostensibly for holding weapons or being used as a curled index finger come hither type of hand, and 1 right hand to grip the handle on the Evol Driver. Magnificent.

This figure could have gone the easy way out. It could have been just Evol Cobra, and Tamashii could have milked out releases for the other two forms. Admittedly, I'd have still bought them like that too. I was tempted to buy 3 of this set just so that I could display all 3 forms, I'm still considering picking up 2 more to do just that. But the fact that everything came in one set as is, is just brilliant. Huge props to Tamashii for making that call and making this figure an all in one package. Below, you'll be able to read up on the cosmetic differences of the forms, and further below you can see the full gallery of them.

Cobra Form
"Evol, Phase 1."
Of Evol's initial 3 forms, this is by far the most striking and stylish. Kamen Rider Build built (aha!) an incredibly rich world of characters and technology. The entire Rider system as well as offshoots like the Kaiser system, owe their existence to the original Evol Driver. Bearing that in mind, the earthly derivatives feel appropriately similar to each other from a design perspective. Whereas Evol feels absolutely alien, in absolutely all the right ways. Regal, ornate, deadly. I instantly fell in love with this suit when it appeared in show, and having it in figure form now the gorgeous details of it just jump right out at me again.

Phase 1 is by far the most cohesive of the 3 forms, not to knock the other two, it's just that this flows a bit more naturally. The general astronomy theme as well as the cobra motif are a fantastic mix. Evol's body is criss-crossed by rings and lines that emulate astronomical equipment, I can't help but feel telescopes come into play in his design, but it's evident to me that an astrolabe is the primary inspiration for this suit. In any case let's move on to some of it's functionality.

Though the design definitely looks foreign because of all the armor bits, at the core Evol uses the Build/Cross-Z leg design. This is mostly evident in the thighs but really the general shape of the leg is there, just contoured by new armor. Surprisingly the armor on the legs doesn't really affect how they function either. The ankles are about as good as they've always been, not outstanding by any measure, but decent enough to get good poses out of. Despite the overhang of armor on the bottom of the shin, and added bulk around the knee joint, both remain largely unrestricted as well. We run into issues when we get to the hanging skirt armor though. Evol has some pretty rocking thigh armor on the front and side that protrudes out from the body a bit, but it will occasionally hit the skirt. And unfortunately, having not learned from their Cronus mistake, the armor is thin rigid plastic on a rather limited hinge, so you'll have to fiddle with it somewhat to get the legs in and around that. So just be careful not to break anything. The legs can move, just not as much as I'd like.

On his waist, Evol features the eponymous Evol Driver. This is basically the exact same Driver we got with Mad Rogue. The shade of red is a bit different but it's more or less identical. The difference here is Evol's very own Evol Bottles, the Cobra & Rider System Bottles. Once again this driver is functional, bottles can be swapped out as desired. and the handle can be cranked. A hole is present in the belt above Evol's left hip, but we'll get into that with Phase 3.

The upper body once again features that same black striated form we've come to know from the Build Rabbit/Tank torso. Only this time it's encased in the alien armor of Evol. The chest features perhaps the most blatant astrolabe like design element, a spherical structure with one protruding arm that goes up beyond the left shoulder. Continuing the astronomical theme it's as though Evol's back looks like a star chart or map of a planetary system. I love all of these lovely sculpted details. There's steampunk, there's space, there are subtle hints of cobra all over as well and it all really comes together. Evol's arms feature much of the same elaborate detailing as his core body, such as his impressive looking shoulder pads. Oddly enough, these pads don't seem to affect articulation at all, and nicely enough the shoulder joint itself has a feature that allows you to pull it out from the main body a bit giving it more clearance. The elbows work similarly to any other Build release which is quite well, and the wrists while designed in the same manner as the others in the line are slightly hindered by the armor around the wrist. I do adore the spiked knuckles on Evol's closed fists though.

Evol Phase 1/Cobra has by far one of the most interesting helmet designs I've seen for a rider, really ever. It's alien, it's menacing, it's just beautiful. It has such a unique compound eye visor that extends out beyond the head onto what look like horns as well as down into snake fangs. Perhaps the most incredible detail of the design is that set within the forehead of the helmet, is a planisphere. Mapped out with stars presumably from areas of the universe Evol has been to previously. The overall design of this suit is something I honestly can't find the right words to explain. It's just perfection. Evolution has done right by Evolt.

Dragon Form
"Phase 2, complete."
Absorbing the power of Ryuga's Hazard Level, and possessing his body, Evol enters Phase 2. The changes for each of Evol's forms are totally cosmetic, but wow do they really get the job done. To switch Evol out to Dragon Form, remove the Cobra Evol Bottle, chest plate, shoulder pads and head. Swap in the Dragon Evol Bottle, the new chest piece without the extending arm, the shoulder pads borrowed from the Cross-Z mold, and the nigh identical Great Cross-Z helmet. The shoulder pads are on the same kind of ball joint that most any rider figuart would normally have so swapping them out can require some force, but at least they stay on well. The neck design allows for quite easy head swapping though.

Without even noticing all the blue already present on the suit before, these new parts bring a new sense of cohesion to the design that's astounding, as if this was always meant to be the default form for this rider. As I said above I still think that Cobra is the best looking of the 3 forms, and perhaps the only reason it seems to be more cohesive is all the protruding parts that fill out some of the negative space around the suit. Whereas Dragon Form is a far more compact form. But this one still looks magnificent. There's just no arguing that. An evil inversion of Cross-Z or more closely even Great Cross-Z, Dragon Form is one of the best alternate forms Evol has.

Rabbit Form
"Phase 3, complete."
Attempting to sacrifice his own life to free Ryuga, Sento has instead done the unthinkable, and made the perfect host for Evolt. With the power of the Rabbit, Kamen Rider Evol enters Phase 3. The cosmetic differences of this form are minimal compared to Evol Dragon, but striking none the less. Each of the later phases takes advantage of Evol's accent colors to supreme effect. Dragon with the blues, and Rabbit with the reds. In this form we attache the Rabbit Evol Bottle, red shoulder pads, and rabbit form head. The chest piece stays the same. You can also add the optional Evol Bottle Holster if you're daring and think you won't lose the bottles. They stay attached well enough thanks to square raised surfaces on their sides, but be careful not to knock them loose as I have done several times. This holster, with the Cobra & Dragon bottles attached, apparently only appeared in episode 38 on Evol's hip. After which Ryuga stole the dragon bottle making it his own, and neither the Rabbit nor Dragon Evol forms were ever seen again. So this bit is totally optional and only covers about 5 minutes of screen time at most. And I love it when seldom used things are included with Figuarts so this checks all the boxes for me.

Once again, Rabbit Form takes full advantage of Evol's base red accents to great effect. While not as striking or cohesive as the first two phases, that feels a bit more on brand for this form, given the surprising nature of how it came to be. While the rabbit head is hard to associate with this kind of evil, the new accents added to the design and the eerily symmetrical visor go a long way to making it feel at home on Evol's body.

Final Thoughts
As I've said a number of times in the last couple of years, Kamen Rider Build was an astounding show. One that I fell in love with almost from the start. And as time has moved forward and we get some distance from it, it's one of those series that I still love. It still remains a really bright spot for me in the last decade or so of Rider, right up there with Drive, and further back to Den-O. It feels like a classic series that I can always return to and enjoy. So every time a new Figuart is announced for this series I get really excited, so imagine my joy at the surprise reveal of Metal Build last week! Bandai has swiftly closed the gap on releasing so many things from Build in the last couple years that we're down to a handful of things really that I'd still like to see. Cross-Z Evol, Cross-Z Build, Prime Rogue, Evol Black Hole, Killbus, Blood, Remocon & Engine Bros, and the various Kaisers. Cross-Z Evol, Prime Rogue, & Black Hole we've at least seen prototypes of so there's hope. But as is, if Kamen Rider Evol had somehow been the final note on this series, I think I could still be happy. It's a truly impressive looking figure with a perfectly executed form swap gimmick, something you don't see every day with S.H. Figuarts. While it may have some shortcomings, there's no denying that Evol is one of the best villain rider figures the line has seen in years.

Part 2

Part 3

My only regret right now is being too broke to afford this.

One of I think 3 figures I have ever really overspent on. But he is such a good release.

How did you do the granite looking background?

I've been looking forward to this gallery and review, along with Geiz Revive. It's absolutely a wonderful package and I consider it a fully satisfying Evol in of itself. Even if Black Hole form is his more powerful, Phases 1, 2 and 3 make for much more fun figures.

That shot of the big three villain riders from the last three Heisei seasons is especially nice (I prefer to pretend Ohma Zi-O was the ultimate villain in his show).

I'm so glad I'm not alone in this.

I like having Ohma stand with Evol, Chronos, Gold Drive, White Wizard, and Dark Kiva. It just feels right.

Good to know they handled this clusterfuck design well

This would be awesome to have.

I really hope the reissue isn't as hard to grab as the initial PO's were, really killed my hopes of owning evol after that and after seeing the aftermarket prices. Like damn, i know evol's popular, but some were charging 500-600 for him on ebay.