Toy prices have continued to creep up this year, and in turn, the number of toys that I buy on the regular have gone down. This year’s Black Friday deals featured a lot of figures I would normally jump on, but I’ve gotten so used to skipping the Hasbro offerings that I’m not as enthused to pull the trigger even at their old retail prices. With that level of apathy towards lines that I’ve collected and loved in the past, I’ve decided to try out some new lines that have piqued my interest. Let’s enter the world of anthropomorphic animals with FuRay Planet.
For those of us late to the party, here’s how Maestro Union describe it:
FuRay Planet is an imaginary planet full of anthropomorphic animals set in a modern society that features different countries and cities, with every character having their own jobs and roles to play. From this new world comes a series of 1/12 scale figures from Maestro Union. The figures feature mature designs, are highly detailed, and are highly articulated.
FuRay Planet has been putting out figures for the past year. You can order them through the likes of Big Bad Toy Store and Amazon. There are currently 3 figures in the line: Wilderness Hunter Crocker (crocodile), Veteran William (wolf) and the subject of this article, Blade Master Weng (tiger). Crocker answered the question of “What if the crocodile was also the hunter?”. Any similarities between the TMNT’s Leatherhead are completely coincidental. William appears to be a werewolf in a duster. Both characters pack in quite a bit of firepower and have more of a western influence than the follow-up figures. The subsequent offerings starting with Blade Master Weng take us to the East realm and forego the guns in favor of the martial arts. Preorders are currently live for Kensai the Nameless One, and Yin and Yang the Panda Brothers.
While Crocker and William were pretty cool, they didn’t capture my imagination the same way that the animals from the East realm have. It might be the proven track record of putting martial arts weapons in the hands of animals, or just the thought of having a realistic looking cast to recreate Kung Fu Panda in figure form. Either way, this dual sword wielding tiger has been sitting in my Amazon list waiting for a screaming deal to get my feet wet with the line. Fortunately for you, Dear Reader, Master Weng arrived just in time to make the deadline for this week’s column!
Master Weng is a hefty boy. Checking in at 8.5 inches tall, Weng is bursting with detail from his clawed toes to his furry top knot. The cloak and loin cloth are soft plastic, and do hinder articulation a bit. I might look into some soft goods down the line, but what’s provided looks great in the interim. The rest of the accessories are also top notch, though I do fear that the Carpet Monster will inevitably consume one or more of the tiny throwing knives or tobacco pouch.
The titular Blades packed in with Master Weng are quite the presentation themselves. Arriving in their own ornately decorated crate, the blades are exquisite and make this feel like a truly premium offering. When Weng is wielding them, it gives him a massively lethal wingspan. These monstrous blades in the hands of a giant man-tiger make my imagination run wild at the thought of him as a final boss in a fighting game. He’s formidable and imposing. A stark contrast to the peaceful vibes you can capture with the pipe, cloak and hat look. I always love getting more than one look from my figures and Master Weng kills it in that regard.
Maestro Union uses a firmer plastic than most toy companies. I don’t know what it is, but I can’t swap out hands or heads without throwing on some padded gloves. I’ve tried the usual trick of heating it up with some hot water, but that stuff is resilient! It’s an extremely minor complaint and I’m grateful it’s not a matter of the hands or head sitting too loose on the figure.
Overall, I’m very happy with Blade Master Weng. It’s a great entry into the world of FuRay Planet. I think I’ll add Kensai the Nameless One to my list and start watching for another screaming deal to come through. Weng vs Kensai is a battle I look forward to capturing in figure photography someday. Until then, my collection has no shortage of swordsman and martial artists waiting to get their hands on Blade Master Weng!
