New 2026 arrivals!

 Greetings, readers! Exciting news today - my first Breyer purchase since moving to NZ has arrived! I got Pluto Gratia and Betsy and Ross in this shipment - they qualified for free shipping from the US somehow, so I jumped on the opportunity and ordered them! Plus, they only took a little more than a week to get here! I'll start with Pluto: 

He's the white-grey Lipizzaner we've all been waiting for. 

I love him, and yet I dread the day (probably next year) when they gloss him for a Breyerfest live show prize. 

It's probably a good thing that there isn't much of a live show scene in NZ (that I know of), because this guy was basically a body right out of the box. Black specks in the finish, shiny marks, black scribbly/scuff marks on his neck and more. His entire left shoulder is shiny for some reason, and I didn't want to investigate that too much for fear of the paint scraping off like it did on my Domingo. So it looks like this guy is just going to sit on the shelf...but that's what's going to happen to most of my models now, so I guess it is what it is. 

Now, let's take a look at Betsy and Ross! 

Fortunately, this pair aren't bodies right out of the box, but the foal is iffy about standing. The mare had a rub on her offside hip, but it mostly scraped off, so it might have just been part of the box that rubbed onto the mare. 

I wish they'd used Firestorm (her original foal) with this one - it would have been fun to see him in clearware. 

All in all, I'm glad these guys got here all right! Somehow they shipped all the way from Detroit for free, so I'm taking it! Yan Wu and Lisboa have both shipped, but the estimate for Yan Wu says he'll be here 2/12, and I have no idea when Lisboa will be here due to Breyer's site not supplying tracking numbers anymore. So it could be a while before I see them! I also have the new bay pinto Hamilton on order, but he hasn't even shipped yet. Hopefully Yan Wu is here soon, at least!  

Last special run sneak peek!

 Greetings, readers! We have a sneak peek for the last Breyerfest 2026 special run (not counting the Limited Editions) - check it out! 

There have been a number of models released with molded-on feathers in the past, including the Indian Pony, Appaloosa Performance Horse, Nokota and Ruffian (possibly others I'm forgetting). The online consensus seems to be that the peek is showing the tail feathers on the Nokota, but it could just as easily be a different mold with feathers added. Guess we'll find out on Monday! Since the feathers are black, I'm guessing some kind of (decorator) reference to Odin and his ravens, but we'll see. I hope it's the Nokota! 

It is Cosimo!

 Hurrah! Good news, readers! The sneak peek is indeed Cosimo! 

I love him! What a nice color on him. Too bad he isn't glossy though. Where's all the gloss?! Are they all going to be matte/glossy splits? I'm so confused! Anyway, something else is coming tomorrow - probably a sneak peek for the last special run and then they'll reveal it on Monday. Will it finally be something glossy? Time will tell...

In other news, the first Vintage Club release of the year is now available for purchase! It's Sentinel and Echo! 

Let's not forget the other foal:

I'm glad I don't want these, because I'd be annoyed at having to track down another set for the foal, unless I was lucky enough to find someone selling just the foal. But anyway. Nothing I need, but I hope the club members enjoy them! I'm kind of surprised it took this long to get a vintage-style "blue" roan - but in fairness, it never occurred to me as a thing that should exist before, so I don't blame Breyer for it. It'll be interesting to see what these look like in person! 

Another Breyerfest teaser!

 Good news, everyone! There’s a new sneak peek on the blog. Behold:

The sleuths out there on the Internet seem to think this is Cosimo, so I hope they’re correct! We’ve been waiting for him to show up. Do we think this one is an Appaloosa? I kinda hope so, but I’d be okay with a pinto too. The bigger question is: does the gloss drought continue, or is he shinier than he appears in the teaser? Guess we’ll find out tomorrow! 

The last Limited Edition portrait reveal!

 Greetings, readers! Well, the final Limited Edition portrait model for Breyerfest was revealed today - say hello to Ojvind! 

I'll admit wild bay isn't my favorite color, especially with so much pangare, but I gotta have this guy anyway! From the blog: 

Gotland Ponies were first imported to the United States in the 1950s. In 1989, Leslie Bebensee bought the last breeding herd and brought them to her Kokovoko Farm in Kentucky. These sweet and athletic ponies won her heart, and her focus turned to preserving the Gotland in the US. In 2020, Leslie received an email notifying her that the Kokovoko herd had bloodlines that were lost in Sweden, and an arrangement was made to trade a stallion from their old lines in exchange for four colts out of her mares. That little stallion from Sweden was Öjvind!

At least he's cute! But the blog notes that this is the last of the Limited Edition portrait models. That doesn't mean we've reached the end of the Limited Editions, though - there's still a Classics model, a Stablemate set, the crystal and the plushie - not to mention whatever the online-only models are this year. 

There are also still two special run models left to be revealed. Dare I hope one is glossy? Or maybe both? There's a distinct lack of gloss in the reveals so far, aside from the Stablemates.

Oseburg, and the Lisboa selections!

 Good news, readers! We got a reveal for the teaser from last Friday, and what a reveal it is! Meet Oseburg: 

Oh boy, a new Othello! The conga demands he join. Now I'm thinking about getting a VIP ticket just for this one...but that depends on what the last two reveals are, I guess. 

From the blog: 

The Oseberg ship burial is one of only a few of these types of burial mounds uncovered from the middle ages. Buried originally around 834 and excavated during 1904 and 1905, it’s been researched heavily in the last 120 years. This burial mound contained extensive quantities of grave goods, including four sleighs, a cart, bedposts, chests, household goods, and tools.  It also contained the remains of 14 horses, an ox, and three dogs, all alongside the remains of two very richly-dressed women of stature and tucked inside the hull of a 70-foot-long longship. This archaeological masterpiece has been an incredible glimpse into the past, and one of the few instances of textiles to be recovered from the period.

He certainly matches the color of aged wood! I love him. I like the little snip on his nose, too. There's supposed to be another Breyerfest reveal tomorrow - I'm guessing it's another Limited Edition. I hope it's something exciting! 

In other news, the Lisboa selections went out today, and I was lucky enough to be drawn on my main account! Surprisingly, the $10 coupon I got for the Black Friday debacle worked on him. Which was good, because the shipping to NZ was $65. Might have to just send all my upcoming purchases to a US address and collect them later, because whew, that's a lot. Now I get to see how long it takes for him to get here! 

Web specials, volunteer models and sneak peeks (oh my!)

Good news, everyone! Well, it looked like today was shaping up to be a boring day (at least in the model horse world; in my defense, I forgot about Breyermidwest), but then the reveals started coming fast and furious! First, a new Breyerfest sneak peek: 

I'm hoping for Rowan, myself. Saw some speculation that it was Georg or Cosimo. Georg is out, for reasons that will be revealed later in this post, and I doubt they'd do another black Cosimo right after doing a black one for the Premier Club. So I'm hoping it's Rowan! No preference on whether it's the mare or stallion version. 

Next, we got a reveal of this year's first Exotic Destinations web special! Say hello to Lisboa, named for Lisbon! 

From the email: 

Pack your bags as we set off to Lisbon, Portugal, the first stop of the 2026 Exotic Destinations Series! This vibrant capital city is home to the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art, where visitors can watch magnificent Lusitano horses perform baroque exercises and learn about the rich history of the Lusitano horse in Portugal.

Ooh, he's pretty! I definitely want this one. Crossing my fingers that I get drawn! Anamar looks great in glossy bay. 

And lastly for today, I was sharply reminded that BreyerMidwest was happening today when I saw the reveal of this year's Ambassador (formerly known as the volunteer) model! Say hello to Vegvisir! 

But wait - palomino isn't his only color. There's a sooty buckskin too! 

As usual, the third (dilute) color will be revealed at Breyerfest. Perhaps a cremello, like Sonorah? One can only wait, and dream. I'm also happy that Georg was eliminated from contention as the surprise early - it gets tiresome seeing people predict him year after year. I'm sure he really will be the surprise someday; it just seems a bit too soon, yet.