Thursday, July 24, 2025

Seize the Day Surprise numbers and Salzburg!

 Good news, readers! The Seize the Day Surprise run numbers were released today- read them and weep! Or not, I guess. 

-            Matte Silver Bay – 1150 pieces
-            Matte Blue Roan – 1625 pieces
-            Matte Dapple Grey - 965 pieces
-            Matte Flaxen Liver Chestnut – 1020 pieces
-            Matte Palomino Tobiano – 870 pieces
-            Glossy Silver Bay – 384 pieces
-            Glossy Dapple Grey – 384 pieces
-            Glossy Flaxen Liver Chestnut - 384 pieces
-            Glossy Palomino Tobiano - 384 pieces
-            Glossy Decorator - 634 pieces


My impressions? I was definitely not expecting the blue roan to be the most plentiful of the matte ones. Nor was I expecting the dapple gray to be the second rarest - nobody wants him! Mine has been sitting for sale for $110 for at least a week with no takers. Anybody want him? Let me know if so. I guess that does explain why it took so long for me to get a matte gray, and why I got two blue roans. There's also a note that the decorator's paint job was based on Carpe Diem, which...huh? They don't look alike at all. He looks somewhat more like Carpe Noctis, but there really aren't a lot of similarities there, either. Weird. 

In other news, the sneak peek from last month's Collector Club newsletter has been revealed! Say hello to Salzburg, the last Exotic Destinations web special for this year! 
















He's pretty, but nothing I need to buy. Good luck to everyone entering! I'll be over here waiting for the second chance sale to be announced. Speaking of sales, there's also a Christmas in July sale happening tomorrow at 10am EST, and there was mention of "rarities" that may be available, so definitely be sure to check that out! 

Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Special run numbers and Shindigs!

 The day is finally upon us, readers! Breyer finally gave us what we've been waiting for - this year's Breyerfest special run numbers! Well, minus the Seize the Day Surprises, which will be revealed tomorrow. But no one cares about those. Behold! 

To the Ties That Bind Us: 50/50 blue and gold, with 75 silver 
YOLO: 50/50 gray and sabino, with 75 holographic
Future is Bright: 75% loose mane (1,650), 25% roached mane (550)
Get This Party Started: 50/50 black and buckskin, with 75 blue/black
Let the Good Times Roll: 50% glossy with loose mane/tail (1,250), 50% matte with braided mane/tail (1,250)
Hoopla: 75% matte (2,250), 25% glossy (750)
Shindig: 2,925 gray sabino, 75 blue/orange decorator

No variations on the other special runs, but we already knew that. 

The Future is Bright variation is interesting - I speculated that they'd do a 75/25 split on Ties that Bind, but it makes sense that it was done on this one instead. Makes the roached mane a little more desirable, though most people still seem to prefer the loose mane. I'm also somewhat happy that I decided to sell off my Bristols, so I don't have to track down a glossy Hoopla after inevitably only getting matte ones. Still wishing I'd been able to get a holo YOLO, but maybe some of the VIP and All-Access ones weren't picked up that will be in the leftover sale. Same with Ties that Bind. 

Speaking of Shindigs, mine arrived today! Behold! 








No, not enough luck to get the decorator here. I was really hoping I'd get one, as it would have helped take the edge off the event (in some ways it was great, as Breyerfest always is, and in others it was probably my worst Breyerfest ever). Oh well. 









I don't remember ordering a third one, so...okay, I guess? Too bad it wasn't a decorator. 













Quality-wise they're all about the same, though one has a slightly bent ear tip. 












It's a pretty nice color, though - I'll have to think of a breed for him. 















These guys look like they're having a nice chat around the office watercooler. "Did you guys hear about Steve?" "Oh man, what did he do now?" If I was less tired, I'd keep going with it. Something for another day, I suppose. 

Well, that's it for today! We're supposed to see the Seize the Day Surprise numbers breakdown tomorrow, so let's hope they don't make us wait too long! 

Tuesday, July 22, 2025

New Arrivals: Roan Salud, YOLO and Sabino YOLO

 Greetings, readers! It's another New Arrivals post today, since we still haven't gotten those run numbers. Let's start with the roan Salud! 

















Lesli Kathman did confirm this is supposed to be a roan in a public post on her Facebook page, which includes an explanation of all three Salud colors. Hopefully you can read it! All three colors are beautiful -I'm still not sure which one I like best, though I'm still leaning toward the solid black. Well, mostly solid black. 
















Next we have the original dapple gray YOLO! This guy kind of got left in the dust when the sabino and holographic variants were revealed, but he's still so pretty! I was expecting this release to have a matte/glossy split, because he would have looked amazing as a glossy. Oh well! 
















And here we have the sabino YOLO! All of the YOLOs I got were sadly riddled with flaws, unfortunately - not sure what happened in the production process that some of the Breyerfest models were perfect, while others weren't - but these are another example of the QC falling down somewhere. Oh well - he looks good from a distance! Too bad I couldn't get a holographic YOLO, but there's always the second chance sale...if there were any not picked up from the VIP and All-Access lines, that is. 

That's it for today - tune in again soon for more New Arrivals! 

Monday, July 21, 2025

New Arrivals: Glossy Palomino Pinto, Blue Roan and Decorator Seize the Day Surprises

 Welcome back to another New Arrivals post! I'm fervently waiting for the numbers to be posted re: the Breyerfest special runs - tick tock, Breyer! Any day now...but anyways, let's get into another group of new arrivals! First, the glossy palomino pinto Seize the Day: 















It's funny how the quality varies from model to model. Some of the models I got, like the YOLOs and the matte Seize the Days, were riddled with small flaws, but both of the glossy palomino pinto Seize the Days were pretty much flawless. I'll have to think of a breed for this one and take him to a show! 
















Aside from the decorator, the blue roan Seize the Day seems to be the most sought-after color, and it's easy to see why - that color looks great on Totilas! He's definitely among my favorite colors. It's hard to go wrong with a good blue roan. I kinda wish they'd done a glossy version of him, though - imagine how great he'd have been in gloss!  
















Lastly for today, here's our glossy decorator! When these were first revealed, I thought they were color-shift blue and purple, but that's not quite the case - they're mostly blue, with purple on the back. But still a really nice color! I like it a lot. I like his silver hooves, too. Definitely the prettiest of the three! But blue is my favorite color, so I may be biased...but anyways. 

That's it for today - tune in again soon for more New Arrivals! 

Sunday, July 20, 2025

New Arrivals: Glossy Seize the Day Surprise Glossy Flaxen Liver Chestnut, Dapple Gray and Silver Bay

 Well, I'm back with a rare Sunday post! We have more New Arrivals to go over - I was on a roll with those Seize the Day Surprises, so let's keep going with the glossy versions! 















This guy is pretty enough in matte, but the gloss really makes his color pop! I guess that's true for just about any glossy model, though. They're all beautiful! 

















The glossy dapple gray was the very last Seize the Day Surprise I unwrapped, so I actually got pretty lucky on #13. I also got married on September 13, so I guess that's a good number for me! The glossy dapple gray was also the last glossy I needed and the last surprise I needed for a complete collection, so I was pretty happy to get him. Just wish his dapples were a little more subtle...
















That brings us to our last model of the day, the glossy silver bay! Silver bay is always a great color, and like the flaxen liver chestnut, gloss makes it pop so well. 

That's it for today - check back again soon for more New Arrivals! 

Saturday, July 19, 2025

Featured JAH - 7/19/2025, Mar/Apr 2010

 Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured JAH! We were on hiatus last week due to Breyerfest, but never fear! We're back to our regularly scheduled programming this week. Although if anyone has an issue of May/June 2010 I can buy, let me know, because mine seems to be missing. Anyways, let's get going with Mar/Apr 2010! 




















On the front cover, the model versions of Rachel Alexandra and Calvin Borel race in the 2009 Preakness, a diorama by Robin Briscoe. 





















In the Editor's Desk, Arlene previews the magazine as usual, and we also get another view of the Rachel Alexandra diorama. 





















Letters to the Editor appears on page 3 as usual. 





















On page 4 we have the first page of the article about Rachel Alexandra. 





















The article wraps up on page 5 with a full reveal of the Rachel Alexandra model. The real Rachel is of course still alive and living in retirement at Stonestreet near Lexington, KY.


 

















On page 6 we have the first page of an article about the winner of Breyer's equestrian land preservation grant. 





















The grant article concludes on page 7. 





















On page 8 we have a sneak preview of some Breyerfest 2010 items! Ooh, aah, etc. 





















After skipping a Breyerfest profile of Radar and the Priefert Hitch, on page 10 we have a preview of some of the activities planned for the 2010 World Equestrian Games, which were held at the KHP in 2010. 





















After skipping a preview of some of the models Breyer made for the WEG, on page 12 we have the beautiful Connoisseur Spot On! She's very pretty, though I'm not really a fan of the mottling around the mouth and eyes. To each their own! 





















After skipping The Artists' Sketch, Mailbag and Model Horse Show, on page 16 we have a small feature on how the Rachel Alexandra diorama was created, plus a small ad for the then-upcoming Secretariat movie. 





















After skipping the rest of Model Horse Show, on page 18 we have an article about harvesting sap from maple trees and the use of horses in said harvesting. 





















The sap article wraps up on page 19. 





















On page 22 we have an article about the latest USEF Youth Sportsmanship Award, sponsored by Breyer. 





















After skipping an ad for Breyer Stablemates books, on page 24 is the first page of this week's Vintage Point article featuring the Scratching Foal! 





















Vintage Point wraps up on page 25. 





















After skipping Winners' Circle, the Calendar of Events and On the Trail with Breyer, on page 29 (aka the inside of the back cover) we have the reveal of the 2010 Spring Collector's Choice model! I wish the Collector's Choice model would come back. Imagine the cool things people would suggest on the new molds we have now! 





















On the back cover we have the reveal of the Arabian Mounted Native Costume set, featuring a handsome PAS and his rider in native costumes. That costume actually doesn't look too bad for being a mass-produced item - I wonder if they consulted with a model tackmaker to design it. Anyway, this brings us to the end of this week's issue - check back next week for...probably July/Aug 2010, since my May/June issue is MIA. 

Thursday, July 17, 2025

New Arrivals: Seize the Day Surprise Matte Flaxen Liver Chestnut, Dapple Gray and Silver Bay

 Greetings, readers! New Arrivals continues today with more Seize the Day Surprise models. But before I start with that, I want to post the breakdown of surprise models I received. From 13 surprise draws:
2 matte flaxen liver chestnut (traded one for a glossy silver bay)
2 glossy palomino pinto
2 matte blue roan
2 decorator
1 matte silver bay
1 glossy dapple gray
1 glossy flaxen liver chestnut
1 matte palomino pinto
1 matte dapple gray

Can't believe I only had to trade one model to get all the colors, and I managed to assemble them all before Breyerfest was over. That never happens! Well, at least something went right this Breyerfest. Anyways, here's the matte flaxen liver chestnut.















At first I (and most of the rest of the hobby) thought this was a smutty palomino, but he was referred to as a flaxen liver chestnut on the live broadcast, so that's what I'm going to call him. It's a very pretty color! I wonder if Sommer designed these? 
















Quality seems to be all over the place with these special runs - some are okay, some are terrible, some are nearly flawless. I guess that's probably the case every year, but it seems like the lesser-quality ones are just riddled with tiny flaws. I haven't seen many major flaws, for what it's worth. As for the dapple gray, he seems to be the least popular color of the bunch, which is unfortunate. He's a bit plain compared to the other colors. 

















The silver bay is very pretty as well, especially in gloss. This guy was one of the first colors I unwrapped, so he kind of got overlooked amongst the rest of them. But I love his color! What a beauty. 

That's it for today! Check back soon for another New Arrivals post!