Featured Model - 8/10/2016, Ideal

Hello and welcome to Featured Model, a (hopefully) weekly post where I will feature a random model from my collection, give some stats on it and provide some commentary! Let's kick things off with... Ideal!

This handsome guy - item number 1200 on Breyer's mold #579, the Show Jumping Warmblood - was released in 2005 and ran until 2007. He was sculpted by Sue Sifton. This was one of the first times the mold was available with the loose mane and tail combination, after Inconspicuous and a few auction models.  I think he may also be one of the earliest examples of alternate mane/tail options, now that I think about it. The Ideal model was a portrait of the real Ideal, a successful Oldenburg show horse, breeding stallion and Breyerfest guest.

I will start off by saying that I really like the Show Jumping Warmblood mold and wish I had more of them. Unfortunately, it seems a lot of other people like him too, because prices for him are always more than I want to pay! I acquired this model a couple of months ago after finally finding one for a price I liked. On top of that, he's dapple gray, which is one of my favorite colors. I love him!

I have noticed, however, a tendency for these models to "slump" or "droop" on their stands, and this Ideal is no exception. He is possibly the worst offender I have in regards to this issue - not only does he droop downward noticeably, but he also leans slightly to the left. My original release chestnut SJW from 2003 also droops to about the same degree, but fortunately doesn't lean. Of the seven SJWs I have, it seems like the older the model is, the more it droops downward - with the exception of the Royal Kaliber (2004) I found at Breyerfest a few weeks ago. However, he didn't come with a stand, and I have no way of knowing how long he's spent forlornly lying on his side.

This does make me worry for the future of these models. It doesn't seem like one leg can support all of the model's weight without slowly drooping downward. Will it keep progressing until the outstretched front leg touches the ground? Is there any way to prevent this, other than storing them on their sides? I suppose one could try using fabric or something else to suspend them from the bottom of a shelf/surface above them, but that would be a lot of work if you have a lot of these guys in your collection. I suppose we'll have to wait and see what happens with them.

Either way, this is one of my favorite molds, and I look forward to seeing future releases!