This little guy is one half of the Decoupage/Impressionistic Page Connoisseur set, item #90128 - a run of 350 released in 2004. They were issued on the popular Susecion and Le Fire molds, sculpted by Kathleen Moody.
Some people give Le Fire flak for his mule-like ears (and I've seen at least one custom turn him into a mule baby based on those ears), but I like them. They give him some personality. As to his color, I think he's supposed to be bay, so I sort of wish his lower legs were a little blacker - although I don't know that much about foal colors other than their tendency to be born one color, then shed into another color. It's not that much of an issue, anyways. His paintjob is quite nice, as Conns from that era usually are.
More interesting about this mold is his rough coat, meant to represent a wet, newborn coat. I don't think Kathleen has done any other rough-coat models for Breyer, and we don't generally see a lot of rough coats in general, either. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing Breyer issue some type of Bashkir Curly-type mold - as long as it was a Moody, of course.
But, back to the mold(s) being discussed. I always wonder why Breyer doesn't use these molds more often, given their popularity among collectors (and resulting high prices on the secondary market). A new RR set would probably sell quite well, at least for the first few years - especially to customizers looking for affordable bodies. It's probably economical in nature - I don't know what the original Susecion/Le Fire's sale price was, but right now the new Andalusian Mare and Foal set (Fantasia Del C and Gozosa) are retailing for around $50 - not much more than your average new regular run Traditional model. When those molds debuted in the Premier Club in 2015, their price was the same ($175) as any of the other Premier Club releases thus far, meaning we essentially got the Corazon mold for free. If Breyer can't expect to do much more than give the foal part of the set away for free with the mare, it might explain why they don't use the molds very often.
On the other side of that coin, though, it's not like they haven't released numerous mare/foal sets in the past, and the GG Valentine and Heartbreaker set were in the regular run lineup for quite a few years (Are they still being produced? I'm not sure).
Whatever the reason for their relative disuse, I hope Susecion and Le Fire get to come out to play again soon. It would be nice to see them as this year's holiday mare and foal set, although that doesn't seem likely with the FAM/FAF right there (not that I'd complain either way). Come on, Breyer, throw us a frickin' bone here!
Some people give Le Fire flak for his mule-like ears (and I've seen at least one custom turn him into a mule baby based on those ears), but I like them. They give him some personality. As to his color, I think he's supposed to be bay, so I sort of wish his lower legs were a little blacker - although I don't know that much about foal colors other than their tendency to be born one color, then shed into another color. It's not that much of an issue, anyways. His paintjob is quite nice, as Conns from that era usually are.
More interesting about this mold is his rough coat, meant to represent a wet, newborn coat. I don't think Kathleen has done any other rough-coat models for Breyer, and we don't generally see a lot of rough coats in general, either. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing Breyer issue some type of Bashkir Curly-type mold - as long as it was a Moody, of course.
But, back to the mold(s) being discussed. I always wonder why Breyer doesn't use these molds more often, given their popularity among collectors (and resulting high prices on the secondary market). A new RR set would probably sell quite well, at least for the first few years - especially to customizers looking for affordable bodies. It's probably economical in nature - I don't know what the original Susecion/Le Fire's sale price was, but right now the new Andalusian Mare and Foal set (Fantasia Del C and Gozosa) are retailing for around $50 - not much more than your average new regular run Traditional model. When those molds debuted in the Premier Club in 2015, their price was the same ($175) as any of the other Premier Club releases thus far, meaning we essentially got the Corazon mold for free. If Breyer can't expect to do much more than give the foal part of the set away for free with the mare, it might explain why they don't use the molds very often.
On the other side of that coin, though, it's not like they haven't released numerous mare/foal sets in the past, and the GG Valentine and Heartbreaker set were in the regular run lineup for quite a few years (Are they still being produced? I'm not sure).
Whatever the reason for their relative disuse, I hope Susecion and Le Fire get to come out to play again soon. It would be nice to see them as this year's holiday mare and foal set, although that doesn't seem likely with the FAM/FAF right there (not that I'd complain either way). Come on, Breyer, throw us a frickin' bone here!
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