Featured Model - 2/25/2017, Nice

Hello and welcome to yet another edition of Featured Model, the weekly blog event where I pick a model from my collection, give some stats on it and provide commentary about it. This week's model is...Nice!



This cute little guy, on Breyer's Fjord model sculpted by Kitty Cantrell, was issued through JAH at the end of 2001 (with no item number, apparently). Subscribers who ordered that release received either Nice, or his "evil twin" Naughty in a gambler's choice of 1500 models per color. I remember when this release came out, but I don't remember if I tried to buy one or not; I was a broke high school student at the time, and I may not have bothered due to the curse of slow mail service (I'd tried to order something at least once before, only to have it be sold out by the time Breyer received my order). If I had ordered one, Naughty would have been the one I wanted more, but they're both pretty.

Henry is another one of those underrated molds that should be used more often. He's another rare example of a model with a textured coat. And I love Nice; his pearly white finish with soft blue shading - and the snowflakes! - are a great design. Unfortunately, while the Fjord is a cute mold, the real horses only come in about five different shades of dun, and Breyer has now done three of them (Henry, Silver Wolfe and GVF Sjokolade). And the mold is so distinctively Fjordlike that it's hard to use it as any other breed. Add that to the fact that the mold just isn't as popular as some, and there's just not a lot of incentive to use it.

That said, the mold did made an appearance at Breyerfest 2015 as the diorama contest prize Truffles, which was certainly a different sort of colorway. And of that photo of the five Fjord colors, I wouldn't mind seeing the one second from left as a new release. He'd be pretty! Come on Breyer, make it happen! My Fjord collection needs another addition!

The Breyerfest Sunday Raffle has been revealed!

Oh, snap! I was way off there. I thought the picture was of a mare - clearly that area is too dark to show a sheath. I give you - Rangoli, on True North!

 

So is it safe to assume that at least one raffle model will be on a current-year Premier Club mold from now on? I'm not really sure how I feel about that - Breyer is bending, if not outright breaking, one of the main tenets of the Premier Club - that models on those sculpts will only be available to PC members until the following year. They did this last year with Areia on the Geronimo mold as well. Now, this doesn't bother me a whole lot, because it's not like a run of 26 is a wide release, but...still. So, here's a shot of the model's other side.

 

He is quite pretty, and at least I guessed the color correctly, but for whatever reason I'm just not a fan of this mold. I wasn't a fan of Wyatt or Bobby Jo either (nothing against the sculpting artist, but I did make an exception for Avalanche). So, my True North will be sold when he gets to me. Which is fine; I usually sell at least one PC release every year. I'll still buy some raffle tickets for this one, because I always do, but if I win him he won't be staying. Hey, at least I'd be able to make back some of the costs of going in the first place! And this means my hopes of Yasmin in the special run line are still alive!

Here's the descriptive blurb from the blog:

Well, the wait is over - meet Rangoli! Named for his complicated belly spot and his very handsome overall appearance, the Sunday Raffle model is on Morgen Kilbourn's new Cantering Warmblood model (mold 739). This majestic horse is a sooty dappled buckskin with sabino markings. His single stocking, double socks, and white heel add to his complex design which also includes a partial blue eye and the aforementioned belly spot.

 Named for his complicated belly spot, you say? The one you can barely see in either of the photos? Maybe an extra shot of the belly spot might have been a good idea, eh? Well, we'll see him in person soon enough.

Kid's St. Patrick's Day Grab Bags!

Another holiday, another grab bag...



But this time they're only $20!

Grab Bags include Stablemates and an assortment of fun Blind Bags! Limited quantities of grab bags are available! Shop now, while supplies last!**

*Each Grab Bag (item #712970) contains an assortment of Breyer models and products appropriate for children ages 4+, with a total estimated retail value of $42.90. Assortments may vary. Limit one (1) Luck of the Irish Kid's Mini Mystery Grab Bag per order, while supplies last. Gift wrapping is not available for this item. Grab Bag contents individually packaged; does not come in a bag. This item is excluded from all discounts, promotional codes, sales and/or special offers at this time. **All sales final, no returns or exchanges on this item.

Ah, that explains why they're so cheap. Stablemates and blind bag stuff isn't especially spendy. I wonder if the blind bags might include the golden buckskin G3 Friesian? That might actually make it worth the purchase...

Nothing I'm going to bother with, but good luck to those who do!

Also, Bandera is now available to order on Breyer's website! Whoo! I think I'll wait and see if I can get my husband to buy him for my birthday, though.

One-Week Volunteer Warning!

Just wanting to remind everyone that the last day to get your Breyerfest 2017 volunteer applications in is Wednesday, March 1. I've decided I won't apply to volunteer this year - it'll be nice to just relax and enjoy the event without having to worry about where I'm supposed to be and when. I'll be sad to miss out, especially if the volunteer model is something spectacular, but there's always next year! Good luck to everyone! Here's a link to the volunteer application.

New Breyerfest teaser! Already?!

There's a new post on the Breyerfest blog today - another teaser photo! With yet another misuse of peak, unfortunately. Behold:



I'm surprised that they added another teaser so soon. Interesting color there - some type of buckskin, perhaps? With all that mapping and those dapples, I'm guessing it's a raffle model - I don't think they'd reveal another store special or SR line model quite so soon. I don't think it's a "store Connoisseur," either, because there wasn't one last year and the previous two didn't exactly light the world on fire. So, what mold is it? Without access to any of my models to compare, I'm thinking Yasmin, though that would blow my theory of her being a SR line model out of the water (depressingly). Only time will tell - let's hope they show us the rest of it on Friday!

Edit: Looking at the other possibilities on IDYB, I'm thinking this is a mare because I don't see a sheath in the photo. This narrows the possibilities quite a bit. I'm still thinking Yasmin as my first guess, but it could also be Forever Saige, maybe Bobby Jo or possibly the PAM (the latter seems slightly more likely if it's indeed a raffle model). Unless I'm forgetting someone, Breyer's other mare molds  a) don't have the hind legs in the right position; b) are too round in the barrel area, or c) don't seem popular enough to be used. But I could be wrong - hopefully we'll find out on Friday! Or sooner, for that matter.

Dally and Spanky are official!

There's a new post on the Breyer Blog, and the hint we got on Saturday was definitely accurate! Meet Dally and Spanky:

 

From the blog:

These two are quite the dynamic duo! Spanky is a miniature horse and Dally is a Jack Russel. Spanky is a luxurious Dark Bay with his signature ‘S' on his hindquarters. Spanky is on the Shetland Pony mold (#25) and Dally is a classic Jack Russel (sic) terrier.

 

So Dally is on the JRT, with a cute little neckerchief, and Spanky is on the Merrylegs mold. They're definitely cute! I won't need them for my collection, but interestingly enough, my husband might want them.  

They'll be Store Specials at Breyerfest, although someone at Breyer needs to work on their grammar, as usual. This sentence is a train wreck:

These adorable gift set will be available at BreyerFest 2017 Gateway to India as a Store Specials.

 I think you meant this, Breyer:

This adorable gift set will be available at Breyerfest 2017 Gateway to India as a Store Special.

Or perhaps this?

These adorable gift sets will be available at Breyerfest 2017 Gateway to India as Store Specials.

Either way, they're cuties! I can't wait to see them in person!  Here's the real duo in action, from Saturday's email.

Coco is here!

Another recent arrival to our house was Coco, the first release in the 2017 Stablemate Club! Here are some quick cell phone photos I took of her.

 

Isn't she cute? If I had more space, she might be able to stay...



Quality-wise, she's fairly nice - I only saw a couple of tiny specks in the gloss, and her eyes (and the area around them) could have been painted better. Otherwise, she looks pretty good.



Some tiny eyewhites might not have been a bad idea, just to keep her eye from disappearing into a gaping black maw on her face. And I know they can do eyewhites that tiny, because my mini Connoisseur set (and probably others) has them.



All in all, a fairly nice model. Let's hope my second one is just as good or better. I don't anticipate having a lot of trouble selling these; Primrose was a fairly hot commodity at this time last year. I definitely hope the next one is something I want to keep, though!

Featured Model - 2/18/2017, Shenanigans

Hello, intrepid readers! Welcome to another edition of Featured Model, the weekly blog event where I pick a model from my collection, give some stats on it and provide commentary about it. The long march of time between Breyerfests is slowly grinding its way onward; join me as I continue my trek through the wastes, buoyed only by the occasional nuggets of information doled out from our cold, unfeeling overlords Breyer headquarters. Why, just this morning I received a missive an email from Breyer promoting the literal dog-and-pony-show coming to this year's Breyerfest and providing a large clue as to the identity of Thursday's teaser photo! But, I digress (sorry, I'm feeling a little dramatic today). This week's Featured Model is... Shenanigans!



This handsome boy was produced in 2006 as one of that year's Connoisseur models, in an edition of 350. He's item number 90136, issued on the cartoony-yet-endearing Goffert mold sculpted by Kathleen Moody.

All jokes aside, Goffert really is quite cartoonish, with ridiculous amounts of hair, but I like him anyway. This color in particular is quite handsome on him, other than the unfortunate greenish tinge to parts of his mane. His rock-star looks lend themselves well to pretty much any paint job; he's practically the definition of "go big or go home." Taskin, Red Carpet Royalty and Labyrinth are all particularly nice -not that any of Goffert's paint jobs have been bad. Of course, my ultimate grail on this mold would be the Star Fairy auction model from 2011, despite my dislike for pink. The mold got a lot of use in 2014, but has only popped up once since then, as Mason from the Chasing the Chesapeake event. Let's hope he gets another regular run release soon, or even shows up at this year's Breyerfest!

And speaking of Breyerfest, the email I got earlier introduced audiences to the "Dynamic Duo" of Dally and Spanky, guests at this year's Breyerfest. Seems like I already knew they would be there, but that wasn't the surprise. The email said Dally and Spanky would have "their very own special model set (to be revealed soon!)." So that would explain the S on Thursday's teaser photo. I'm guessing it will be on one of the mini molds, probably either Midnight Tango or the Shetland Pony (accompanied by the JRT companion dog, naturally). The real question is, will they be a tent SR, or something in the pop-up store? We'll have to wait until at least Monday to find out. I won't be buying them either way as I don't collect any of those molds, but it'll still be fun to see what they are! Let's hope they don't make us wait longer than sometime Monday.

New Breyerfest Teaser and...Hwin!

So Breyer put up a new sneak peek on the blog today (with the correct usage of peek, finally). Here it is:


 

I honestly have no idea what that is. Looks like a horse butt to me, but whose? And what's the S? Why is it so big? It kind of looks like the horse has a pattern on its butt in addition to the S. Opinions I've seen on Blab and Facebook range from Yasmin to Adios to Man O' War to Idocus. Maybe Lonesome Glory? Or possibly El Pastor? I don't know. Whatever it is, I've spent way too much time staring at model horse butts trying to figure it out. Hopefully they show it to us tomorrow instead of making us wait all weekend!

In other news, I decided to order a Hwin with one of my Rainiers, and she got here yesterday. In my Breyerfest predictions, Hwin was one of my choices for this year's glossy prize models - the glossy prizes are usually on brand new releases, and Hwin would make a worthy addition!  Here are some photos of mine!



Looks like I got a darker one. There's been an amazing number of variations for this color that I've seen in various places; it almost makes me regret not collecting variations. One per release is enough for me, thanks.



I was hoping her dapples would look less like chicken wire, but I guess I expected it from the prototype.

 

Even her eyes were decently painted! She was generally pretty nice, other than the chicken-wire dapples (no box or nose rubs! Yay!), but has a lot of shiny marks for some reason.

Here's one last view of her face - I loved how light it was on the off side!



I hope Breyer actually comes through and releases Moondance in April - I need more Saiges in my collection!

My Rainiers are here!

Good news, everyone! My Rainiers came today, a day earlier than expected! Here are some quick cell phone pics.



Look how handsome they are! Here's a better look at Rainier #1.

 

Droolworthy.

 

So handsome! Here's Rainier #2.

 

Unfortunately, both of them have small, irritating flaws.

The first one had a decent paint job, but very visible seams on the mane and between the ears, and a very slightly bent left eartip.



The second one's seams were much better, but he has little flecks of white on his butt from the roaning, various little smudges on his haunch and hind leg, and a small rub on his (not bent) left eartip. So, I'm currently unsure which one I want to keep. I'm not sure if either's flaws would warrant an exchange, and I have yet to ever exchange a model, because it doesn't seem worth the hassle to me...bleh.

Oh well. He's beautiful and I love him anyways! Hopefully I can trade the second one for something good in the future. In the meantime, onto the shelf they go!

Featured Model - 2/11/2017, Rainbow Weather Girl

Hello, readers, and welcome to another thrilling edition of Featured Model! Featured Model is the weekly blog event where I pick a model from my collection, give some stats on it and provide commentary about it. This week's victim is... Rainbow!



 

 This pretty girl is item #1465, issued in 2011 on the popular Weather Girl mold sculpted by Brigitte Eberl. She was one of three possible redemption models one could receive from that year's Treasure Hunt. As usual, Breyer never released how many of these were made, but I think she was the rarest of the three (the other two were the matte and glossy sorrel? red dun? chestnut? pintaloosa "Rainbow").

I love this model. No ifs, ands or buts. I have a weakness for rainbow things and this model is no exception. A pretty Arabian-looking model, in a pretty pose, in a color that screams, "BUY ME BUY ME NOW!"? Sold. Unfortunately, I had to wait a while before her price came down to a range I wanted to pay, but she was worth the wait. She's not the first translucent model I've ever owned, but she's definitely the prettiest.

The Weather Girl mold's first release came in 2011 through the Treasure Hunt (which was evidently the last Treasure Hunt for the foreseeable future). She was issued in five colors through the Treasure Hunt and was also a Breyerfest special run that year. In addition, glossy versions of the three TH colors were prizes at the Breyerwest live show that year, and she also showed up at the Sunshine Celebration collector's event as the coveted Winter Haven. Still kicking myself for not attending that, as I was drawn for a ticket but couldn't afford it at the time.

Then, at the end of the year, Weather Girl was used as the silver filigree special run, Mont Tremblant. So she definitely got plenty of use that year, because she spent five years in the "Breyer Vault" after that, and only came out again last year. I'm still baffled that they didn't issue the Swirling Sky Connoisseur model on Weather Girl instead of reusing the Moody Andalusian, though. It's not like they didn't have any translucent Weather Girl bodies available.

Aside from the various auction models, Weather Girl has only shown up once since coming out of the vault - as the current regular run release, Rhapsody in Black. I'd thought Breyer would want to celebrate that a little more and use her for a few more things, but that didn't happen last year. Maybe I'm wrong about my Breyerfest predictions and she'll show up there? Or possibly as a web special for America the Beautiful? Still hoping for a glossy alabaster. I guess we'll have to wait and see. I have all but the rarest of her releases, but the collection could always use a few more. I'll be crossing my fingers!

Repeat the Beat!

 Repeat the Beat's full photo has been posted on the blog! Behold:



Looks like they didn't graft a sheath on there. Probably wouldn't be economical to do it for a run this small, though I wonder how small it will be. Will they change things up and produce fewer this year, since last year's Diablo DC and Dag Dia had pretty lackluster sales? But were the lackluster sales a result of the increased run number or the increased price? Last year's store specials cost $75, as opposed to the $50 in previous years. Probably a little of both, in the end. I can't see the price going down (though I could be wrong), but maybe they'll reduce the run number - 1125 is a bit of a weird quantity anyway.

Whatever they decide to do, I'll be trying my hardest to get this model. I love the mold, and that color is beautiful! From the blog post:

Pete will be making his Breyer debut as a Store Special at BreyerFest 2017 Gateway to India. Pete is a black sabino roan on the Bluegrass Bandit mold (# 585) which was sculpted by Kathleen Moody and Sommer Prosser and introduced in 2008. Pete has 3 high white legs and unusual knee marking as well as a belly spot and a blaze.

Not sure how long we'll have to wait - I doubt this reveal was planned, since the leaked photo only appeared on Monday. Knowing Breyer, we'll probably have to wait a whole month before we see anything new. Bring on the announcements, Breyer!

Breyerfest 2017 Predictions 2: Raffle and Prize Boogaloo!

Well, it's time to get out the crystal ball again! In lieu of more exciting news, I'll jot down my predictions for Breyerfest 2017's raffle models, contest prizes and other miscellaneous stuff. I'm probably wrong about most of these, but we'll see in a few months! I'm only predicting molds, not colors or names, because I don't want to put that much thought into something I'm probably wrong about anyway. So, let's get this show on the road!

Raffle models - Show Jumping Warmblood, head-down Make a Wish

Diorama contest prize: Stud Spider

Live show glossy prizes: Paint Me a Pepto, Hwin

Live show reserve grand: Wyatt
Live show grand: Adios

Custom contest grand prize: alternate color 2017 Premier model, probably True North
Custom contest runners-up Stablemates: alternate colors of 2017 Stablemate Club models

Costume contest prize: glossy Nazruddin (not much mystery there)

1-Day Stablemates: Django, G4 Driving Horse, G2 Warmblood, G2 Thoroughbred

Volunteer Model: Croi, since they seem to be using her a lot lately

Crystal horse: Carltonlima Emma

Pop-up Tent Classic: Polo Pony

More-different (decorator) Pop-up Tent Classic: Harper

Pop-up Tent Stablemate: G2 Rearing Arabian

At least one of the store specials leaked on Facebook a couple of days ago - a blue roan Bluegrass Bandit named Repeat the Beat, portrait of the real TWH who jumps (interestingly enough). Breyer posted a sneak peek on the blog today, probably because of the Facebook leak. Here's the peek:



Looks like a blue roan Bluegrass Bandit to me. I'll hold off on more commentary on that until the model is officially revealed. I'm not going to predict other store specials, because they're usually based on guest horses, there isn't always more than one, and there isn't really any way to predict what they'll be ahead of time.

So, those are all I can think of for now - hopefully I got at least a few of them right, though we'll have to wait until Breyerfest itself to see what some of them are. It's going to be a long five months, but worth the wait, I hope!

2/8/2017: Edited to update my prediction for the Classics in the tent. Can't believe I forgot about the Polo Pony!

Coco is now available!

Coco, the first release of the 2017 Stablemate Club, is now ready to order!


I'm a little irked that they released her today, when they could have done it yesterday so I could combine shipping with Rainier. Either that or I should have waited a day to order my Rainier, but it's not like I'm psychic, right? At least we didn't have to wait until the last week of February to order her - I'll have to content myself with that. Let's hope they're good, quality-wise. Last year's Primrose left a lot to be desired with the nose issues and problems with the paint job.

Our Coco models will be for sale, sadly - she's pretty, but I don't collect the G1 Stablemates. Bring on the rest of the releases! Only two short months until we find out what the next one is - I'm looking forward to it!

The Rainier emails have gone out!

And I was drawn on two accounts! Yay! This beauty will be coming home to join his 18 brothers!

 

I have a really poor track record for getting drawn for the more popular web specials - most of the time it seems I don't get drawn unless it's for something nobody else likes. So, I'm ecstatic that I won twice! I'm hoping I can trade the second Rainier for something nice, possibly other web specials I missed out on in the past. Fingers crossed!

In the meantime, I'll be waiting for my Rainiers to wing their way in my direction - he is so beautiful and I was sure I'd never be drawn for him. Congratulations to all the other lucky winners!

So I wonder what we'll get in the series next? Perhaps some type of pink/purple sunset decorator, named Purple Mountain Majesties? Glossy, of course. But probably not, since Rainier was our mountain. Or a nice blond sorrel or frosted buttermilk buckskin, on Smarty or Carrick, named Amber Waves of Grain? Ooh, ooh! Weather Girl in glossy alabaster, named Alabaster Cities Gleam! Please, Breyer? That's what I'm hoping for, anyway. We'll have wait and see!

Featured Model - 2/4/2017, JC Penney Missouri Fox Trotter

Hello, readers, and welcome to another installment of Featured Model, the weekly blog event where I pick a model from my collection, give some stats on it and provide commentary about it. This week's model is...the JC Penney SR Missouri Fox Trotter!


 

This handsome guy was part of a set with a bay Bluegrass Bandit and flaxen chestnut Saddlebred Weanling issued by JC Penney in 2009. He was produced on the Missouri Fox Trotter mold sculpted by Kathleen Moody. Breyer never seemed to release production numbers for any of the JC Penney SRs for some reason, so I don't know how many of these guys were produced. He is definitely attractive, though!

Gray is pretty much my favorite horse color, so I may be a bit biased, but I think this color looks really nice on him. It would be a little nicer if his tail had more shading, but as-is he's perfectly acceptable. I love his ribbon colors, too! Since he didn't come with an official name, I call him "Smoke Screen."

The original Iron Metal Chief is another one of the few remaining models from my old "carpet herd" that I still have. My parents gave him to me for Christmas '97 and he was one of my favorites to play with (black was my favorite horse color at the time). I still remember how sad I was when I read about the real horse's passing in JAH - they had done an article about him earlier in the year and I thought he was so beautiful.

I mainly collect the MFT out of nostalgia - in retrospect, his tail is a little ridiculous, and his pose precludes him from being used as anything other than a Missouri Fox Trotter. He does have a nice face, though. There have been a lot of nice colors issued on him over the years - Arosa for one, and Masquerade for another - the first Connoisseur model I was drawn for (and last until 2011, as I stopped entering drawings after him due to lack of funds and didn't try again until I was drawn for Swirling Sky). It still amuses me how much they must have liked the Masquerade design - how many OOAK models have we seen on him now with that pattern? Seems like there have been several. Of course, my favorite is this one - I have a weakness for rainbow anything.

Off and on I toy with the idea of selling off my MFTs, but after multiple collection purges, they're still here. I forget exactly how many I have now, but they're among the more populous molds in my collection. One never knows what the future holds, but it was nice that they used him at Chasing the Chesapeake (as confusing as a MFT in New England was). Maybe it means they'll use him for something else really nice in the near future? We'll have to wait and see.

Saffron has been revealed!

The first Breyerfest special run is now up, and it's...Saffron!



As we all suspected, Saffron is on the new Geronimo mold. I like him! The blog describes him thusly:

Saffron is a minimal splash Paint in yellow dun on the Geronimo mold (#733), which was first released last year as a part of the 2016 Premier Collection. Saffron has leg bars and a majestic dorsal stripe and his coat has a bit of a pearly-sheen. Our first BreyerFest Gateway to India Special Run model has a touch of the iconic golden-yellow color and lives up to his namesake.

 

He's certainly handsome. I can't wait to get one! I'm especially looking forward to seeing what his "pearly-sheen" is. I love pearly! This is definitely a promising start to our Breyerfest lineup. I hope we get to see more soon!

The first web special of the year is up, and it's a doozy!

This year's web special theme is revealed, and it's...America the Beautiful! Yay, patriotism!



I suppose it was only a matter of time until Othello got used again.  He was a web special in 2008 (the highly-sought-after Silver Snow) and hasn't been seen again since. At least this is a release they won't have to worry about selling out of; the mold has been very popular since its release. Needless to say, my husband and I are entering on our accounts, and I'm thinking about setting up another account for the dog. Gah! Here's another pic.



Rainier is a must-have for me, so I'll be crossing all my applicable appendages that one of us gets drawn for him, because I assume the secondary market prices will be insane. And he really is quite handsome - blue roan without being a rehash of Saltire. I kind of wish his mane and tail were pearly, though. Not sure what you'd show him as, but that's not important (for me). Good luck to all who enter for him!

Breyerfest 2017 Special Run Predictions

Now that we're starting to see Breyerfest 2017 special runs, it's time for me to make some (probably incorrect) predictions about what models we'll end up seeing as Breyerfest SRs. This post will cover special run line items; I'll save other stuff for a later date so this post isn't a mile long.

Firstly,  we can discount any mold that was used last year. So Make a Wish, Silver, Wyatt, Bobby Jo, Forever Saige, Esprit, Hermosa/Corazon and the Brahma Bull are all out. It's probably safe to discount any molds from the 2015 special run line as well, so Huck, Lonesome Glory, Wixom, Croi, Ashquar, the Spanish Fighting Bull, Totilas and the Marwari are out as well (not that anyone thought Marwari or the bulls would be in this year's special run line).

From yesterday's sneak peek, we know that one of the SRs will be on Geronimo. Breyer has established a pattern of using a previous year's Premier mold for at least one Breyerfest SR, and he fulfills that pattern. However, I and a lot of others assumed Yasmin would be used for Breyerfest. Last year's special run line had all three of the previous year's Premier molds in the lineup, so it's still safe to assume Yasmin will also show up in the special run line. As for the animal mold, prevailing opinion says they will use the Elephant, and I have no reason to doubt that.

Last year's Breyerfest had a total of four Premier Club molds in the lineup, including all three of 2015's, so I think it's completely possible we could see a third Premier mold show up. I think Shannondell would be the obvious choice, because he hasn't been used for anything else yet - it's been a while since we've had a mold debut in the Premier Club and then not go into the regular run lineup the following year or be used as a Breyerfest special run (I believe Ashquar would be the most recent example, and even he languished unused until the fall of 2014).

So that's four possibilities, out of a presumed total of eight. Another would be Smarty Jones, using the polo pony configuration; India has a strong connection with polo (apparently modern polo comes from India - thanks, Wikipedia!). The last time Smarty Jones appeared in the Breyerfest lineup was 2007's Rushmore (excluding the 2012 raffle and 2016 Early Bird, both as polo ponies, interestingly enough), so I think he'd be a safe choice.

I'm not sure if we'll get a mare and foal set or not - we don't see one every year. Here's a quick list of the past few years:

2010 - Stage Mom and Child Star
2011 - Hansel and Gretel
2012 - none
2013 - Naomi and Wynonna
2014 - Kodiak and Denali (bears)
2015 - none
2016 - Mamacita and Chico

So it might be safe to assume we won't get a mare and foal set. Which molds would they use, anyway? The most likely candidates would be Giselle and Gilen, unless they Frankenstein together a random mare and random foal. Marabella and Amber, perhaps? The number of foal molds likely to actually get used is fairly small. Bluegrass Bandit and Gilen, maybe? I mean, they might use the Thoroughbred Mare and Nursing Foal, which I wouldn't be opposed to, but it doesn't seem likely. There are Thoroughbred horses in India, though (legacy of its history as a British colony?), so it might be doable.

...Actually, I like that. I'm going to add the Thoroughbred Mare and Nursing Foal to my list as the mare and foal set.

So that just leaves the decorator and the surprise. I have no clue what a decorator relating to India would look like - perhaps something similar to last year's surprise Esprit decorator, except with mandalas? I would think it would be something brightly colored, maybe with henna-like designs. It might be on the Brishen mold, if we think Breyer will use four Premier molds again. Or maybe a Goffert, since he hasn't been used at Breyerfest since 2014, and not in the special run line since 2010? I wouldn't mind seeing a Ruffian either, though, and she was last in the special run line in 2007. So many possibilities! I think Brishen will go on my final list, though.

As for the surprise, the precedent for most, if not all, previous surprise models has been that it's something that doesn't get used anywhere else in the lineup, not even as an auction model (excluding Ethereal, from 2011). Here's a quick listing of the previous surprise models:

2009 - Quarter Horse Gelding
2010 - none
2011 - Ethereal (the one exception)
2012 - Flash
2013 - Roxy
2014 - Nokota
2015 - Lonesome Glory
2016 - Esprit

My gut feeling for this year's surprise model is the Moody Andalusian. Not real sure why, except the lineup usually includes at least two Moody molds and I only have one so far. We'll see if the Andy shows up in some other capacity this year - until then, he's on the list. So, here's my final list:

Geronimo (already more-or-less revealed)
Yasmin
Shannondell
Elephant
Smarty Jones
Thoroughbred Mare/Nursing Foal
Brishen
Andalusian Stallion

As for what colors any of these will come in...I have no idea. Uh...here's another list.

Geronimo - dun
Yasmin - gray (glossy)
Shannondell - bay with more sabino than Shannondell?
Elephant - more-different gray? Or white? (glossy)
Smarty - Chestnut pinto
TB Mare/Foal - Black/baby bay (matte/glossy split)
Brishen - already covered (glossy)
Andy - buckskin, red dun, dapple gray frame overo, red bay tobiano, in matte/glossy finishes

Probably terribly, horribly wrong on those, but time will tell. Hopefully some of these turn out to be correct, but if not - oh well. Breyerfest is hands-down my favorite event of the year, so as long as I get to attend I'll be happy. Hopefully we get to find out more soon!

Edited 2/5/2017 to add matte/glossy finishes and the matte/glossy split to the color predictions.