July Collector Club Newsletter and Surprise reveal!

More good news, everyone - the July Collector Club newsletter is out! Collector Club members, check your email to read it. There's a fun Feature Story, another attempt to get Breyer into the Toy Hall of Fame, a new giveaway (Pech Merle from last year's Breyerfest), and a photo of the plastic versions of glossy and matte Astrid! 

They sure are pretty. Can't wait to order mine...in a few weeks, after my bank account has recovered. 

In other news, we definitely know what the 7 Arts Surprise is! I'll leave a space here so people that don't want to be spoiled won't see it: 

It's....DUNDEE! So yesterday's announcement was accurate after all (my apologies for doubting, but as the old saying goes..."pics or it didn't happen"). I don't have photos I can use yet, but the five (known) colors are palomino roan pintaloosa, classic champagne splash white, flaxen liver roan, max bay sabino and a rainbowy-looking decorator that we haven't seen a full-body photo of yet. Exciting! I'm really surprised that they used a mold as new and popular as Dundee for the surprise, but I suppose rules were made to be broken, huh? Can't wait to see which ones I get...but nothing of mine has shipped yet, so it's going to be a while. 

Breyerfest models are shipping, certificates and more!

 Good news, everyone - according to Breyer, our Breyerfest models are finally shipping! They had previously said shipping was supposed to start this week, but it must have taken until today to get everyone's orders consolidated. Unfortunately, it may take a few weeks for everyone to get everything they ordered, so don't be surprised if you get multiple boxes (and be sure to keep track of everything you ordered in case something gets left out). But at least things are shipping! 

In other news, Breyer also posted today that they've made commemorative certificates for each Breyerfest model that can be downloaded on the Exclusive Models page of the Breyerfest section of the website. I've got some cardstock here at home, so I'll have to print some of those out later! One wonders if they're planning on adding one for the 7 Arts Surprise later...

Speaking of the 7 Arts Surprise, today's excitement was two separate people posting on Facebook that they might be able to make surprise model reveals today. Unfortunately, one of them turned out to be a Stablemates 4-pack, while the other...has yet to be resolved, as apparently the person that bought the 7 Arts full set in the live auction would allow the mold to be revealed, but is choosing to keep any photos or descriptions of said models to themselves until other people start getting them, which puts the whole thing in doubt. Hopefully other people will get their surprise models tomorrow so we can finally put the suspense to rest! 

Featured Model - 7/25/2021, Deluxe Kid's Club Liam

 Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured Model, the weekly blog event where I pick a model I don't own but would like to, give some stats on it and provide commentary about it. This week's model is...the Deluxe Kid's Club Liam! 

Not quite as rare as the past selections I've made, but still one I'm looking for nonetheless. I had thought this was the Deluxe Kid's Club model for this year, but recently I've seen posts about a new Kid's Club model on the Classic Morgan Mare mold, which made me realize that this Liam was the Deluxe Kid's Club model from last year and I never got around to buying it. D'oh! 

So, I don't know how many of these were made, but he's item #712347 on the Liam/Sir Buckingham mold sculpted by Sommer Prosser. 

I'm not sure how this model slipped under my radar so completely - I was aware of his existence, but I guess buying a Deluxe Kid's Club membership for him must have been such a low priority I kept putting it off for a whole year. Needless to say, I'm definitely looking to purchase one, since there don't seem to be any on eBay. Hook me up if you know of any for sale! I'm definitely kicking myself over this one. He's such a nice color, too! 

As for Liam himself, he's in the current line as the Le Mer unicorn, so it's hard to say where we'll see him next. Maybe this year's Halloween Classic, if we get one of those? 

Breyerfest 2021 VIP models are here!

 Greetings, everyone! I had a pleasant surprise today -  my VIP swag and some of the models showed up on my doorstep today! I hadn't gotten a shipping notice yet, so this was a welcome addition only a day after Breyerfest ended. Behold! 

I love the VIP swag, especially the...coin purse? Clutch? Used ticket holder? Well, whatever it is, it's iridescent pink/green and I love it. The pins and stickers are fun too, though I'm not really a pin person. My kids had to fight over who got to wear the visor and the sunglasses, and rainbow is TOTALLY my thing, so I'll definitely be wearing those sunglasses. And rumor has it the cup changes color with the temperature of the liquid inside, so I'll have to test that out later. I like the presentation of it too, with the fun box and all the little goodies packed inside. Great idea! 

The models are very nice as well - I love the color on Rococo, which makes me all the more sad that I'm not a fan of SCO in either size. I hope they use the color again soon. I like the color on Noveau as well, so selling him makes me a little sad as well. The blue on Dada seems a bit flat, though; I like it, but I guess I was hoping for a little more shimmer. No complaints about Avant Garde; he seems just as advertised. Dani is quite nice as well, though she'll be for sale as well; I didn't see any flaws on her in a quick once-over, which seems like quite an accomplishment given how complicated that pattern is. 

I love the satin bags as well! They complement the models' colors really nicely. Certainly a big improvement over the McDonald's boxes and blister packaging of past years. 

That's all I've got for now! The rest of the Breyerfest stuff isn't supposed to start shipping until next week, but I'm going to cross my fingers and hope they get an early start on it this week. Here's hoping! 

Breyerfest Day 3: Prost!

 Well, it's all over for another year. Breyerfest 2021 is in the history book and I'm sure everyone at Reeves is heaving a huge sigh of relief. And we have our theme next year: Prost! Breyerfest is taking a trip to Germany, so I'm sure we'll see plenty of draft horses and beer-themed items. 

All in all, I think this was a great Breyerfest - a huge improvement from last year! Oddly, it doesn't look like any of the store models sold out or went into backorder - maybe the fact that we could buy whatever we wanted from the start kept the gotta-buy-something-before-they-all-disappear mania from happening. Either way, I'm glad (most) people were able to get the items they wanted with a minimum of fuss. 

There weren't any more big reveals of upcoming stuff, at least that I saw - and we didn't get a Who Wore It Best vote either. I hope they're still planning on doing one this year, but I guess that remains to be seen.

Congratulations to all the contest winners, by the way - there's some amazing talent out there, especially in the Best Customs Contest. 

As for me, I think I need to step back a bit and slow down the purchasing - my bank account is still smoldering after Friday's antics. Hopefully Breyer doesn't decide to come out with another web special or gotta-have-it item for at least another month, eh? I think we all need a break. 

Oh, and VIP ticket holders - the VIP raffle winners are supposed to be drawn on/around 7/20, so we still have a few more days to wait on that one. Good luck, everyone! 

Breyerfest Recap Day 2: Keep 'em Coming, People

 Well, day 2 of Breyerfest is now over! Since I didn't have any buying to do, I spent the day watching the live feed and one of the seminars, though I may watch the Celebration of Horses later. And we got some exciting reveals in the live feed today! Check out some bad screenshots of this year's Halloween collection:

Say hello to Hermie, an adorable Frankenstein's-monster-horse plush! What a cutie.

And...more blind bag Stablemates. Bleh. Fortunately I only need one of them, and that one should be pretty easy to get my hands on, since I doubt many others will want it (the G2 Clydesdale). He did look pretty nice on the live feed, though; he looks like a pumpkin patch under a night sky. The other two are mini versions of Spirit of Hallow's Eve and Bogeyman...though you'd think the G2 Thoroughbred would have been the obvious choice for the Bogeyman. Oh well. No mention on whether there's going to be a Classics/Freedom Series release this year, but considering how well the last few have sold, I'd be surprised if there isn't one. 

Another exciting reveal was this year's Vintage Club bonus Stablemate! 

While flipping him on the box helps hide that too-short front leg, his show side really doesn't do him any favors, and I'm again left wondering how that managed to make the cut. Though I suppose my opinion doesn't matter that much, since I don't collect the full-size SCO either. This release is a mini Yellow Mount, a takeoff on the original Yellow Mount on Adios, and will feature forearm-spot and no-forearm-spot versions (they should really slip some chalky ones in there too, to match up with the original release better). 

We also got a look at the whiteware mini-Sharif in the Stablemates Club, and I have to say I like it better here than in yesterday's reveal. Might have to chalk it up to a bad Photoshop job again, I suppose. Now to see what color they paint him! 

Lastly, here's a view of the Nuggets, this year's Vintage Club gambler's choice release. Though I'm not a Brighty fan, they do look impressive! And at 125 each, they should hold their value fairly well on the secondary market. I'm most partial to the Copenhagen, myself, but to each their own. 

I wasn't one of the lucky raffle winners today, unfortunately. Maybe I'll get something in the VIP raffle? But congrats to everyone who did win! 

There's still plenty of time to buy stuff from the store; it still doesn't look like any of the models have sold out, and not a lot of the merch has either, but maybe tomorrow. I haven't heard if there's going to be a leftovers sale this year, but it would probably happen later this year if so. I guess we'll find out soon enough! 

Breyerfest Recap Day 1: Pleasantly Surprised

 Well, people, the first day of Breyerfest 2021 is over...and I'm actually pretty happy! It wasn't nearly the disaster of last year (though I did hear of some people having difficulties with buying things) but fortunately, other than some slowness while adding things to my cart, things worked pretty much perfectly for me! I was able to order at least one of everything I wanted, and as of this writing, it doesn't look like any of the Breyerfest models have gone into backorder or sold out yet. Woohoo! Looks like Refreshfest is a thing of the past...hopefully. 

In the meantime, we had some not-so-surprising reveals when we logged onto the store today - they're doing preorders of the glossy Apollo, Queen of Hearts and of course Rheverence! And they all look amazing in gloss! 

There's the glossy Rheverence. What a beauty! The only downer is that they won't ship until December, but I guess I'm used to that after having the same deal happen last year with the store specials. 

I spent most of the day watching the live broadcast, hoping someone would slip up and accidentally give us a clue about the Seven Arts Surprise, but nothing has happened so far. Congratulations to all the raffle winners! If your name wasn't called, make sure to check your email, because you have to respond to that to get the model if your name was drawn. I wasn't, unforunately, but there's always tomorrow's raffle and the VIP raffle! Speaking of the VIP raffle, it turns out the prizes are the glossy versions of the Celebration Models from 2016-2020. Five lucky winners will receive one of them! Crossing my fingers that I get drawn and they send me the glossy Brass Hat! 

Also, the extra VIP swag was revealed - here's a tiny picture! 

In case you can't see it, that's a visor, a pair of rainbow sunglasses (YES!!!), lip balm, stickers, pins, a cup and a coin purse (I think?). Pretty nice - I'll definitely wear those sunglasses with pride. Yay! 

I sort of wanted to get a warehouse grab bag, but they sold out too quickly for me to get one - and my bank account was on fire anyway, so I'm not too bothered that I didn't get one. Here's a link to Breyer's eBay page, though - they're selling off some slightly more desirable things there, though some of the prices are already too high ($850 for a Benasque? No thanks). The other items are the Zion and Moab web special set, the clearware Rainbow Weather Girl, the Acadia web special and the Solar web special. 

That's all I can think of to write about for now - see you all tomorrow! 

Stablemates Club reveal!

 There's a new Stablemates Club reveal on the Stablemates Club blog- check it out! It's the new sculpt, to be released at the end of the year: 

From the blog:

Brigitte has sculpted multiple Arabian models for Breyer, including Ashquar, Weather Girl, and the Shagya Arabian. This stallion has plenty of personality, from his striking hoof to his flagged tail, and will look dashing in a variety of colors. He is based off of Brigitte’s iconic “Sharif” sculpture, which has long been a favorite amongst model horse hobbyists. We’re so excited to bring him to plastic in 1:32 scale for the very first time!

I'm oddly ambivalent about this one - I liked the original silhouette we saw, but the whiteware piece looks half-melted or something. Maybe it'll look better with paint on it? I hope so. 

Also, it's Breyerfest Eve, everyone! I hope we all manage to buy the items we want, without too many website troubles!  

Fireheart is here!

 It's a momentous day, everyone - my Fireheart is finally, at long last, holding court on my entertainment center, having finally evicted last year's Premier Club models! Behold! 

I do like him better in-person than in the promo photos, but for some reason I like his off side better than the near side. I think it has something to do with his huge head, or maybe his mouth. His mouth seems to be open, which I'm not really a fan of...but Ashquar's mouth is open too, and that doesn't bother me, so I don't know why this one would. I'll have to think about it some more.

He definitely has a glorious mane and tail, doesn't he? '80s rock star, indeed. 

His eyes are amazingly detailed - I have no idea how they painted his tiny eyewhites without messing it up. He's not too bad, quality-wise - some small dings here and there, but much better than my Meadowlark, for example. I'm excited to see his next release! 

In other news, Breyerfest 2021 is almost upon us! At 10:01AM (EST) on Friday, I'll be poised at my computer, waiting to hit that refresh button when the store opens! Who else is excited! I can't wait! Hopefully it's a less-frustrating experience than last year! A small note here - apparently there are going to be glossy Queen of Hearts and Apollo models (and probably Rheverence as well) somewhere in the mix, though we don't know where yet. Maybe they'll just be prize models? Rheverence would look amazing in gloss, though, so I hope I can get one, if there are any. Queen of Hearts and glossy Apollo both looked pretty amazing in gloss (the Apollo can be seen here). The auction with the glossy Queen of Hearts was taken down and replaced with another lot due to the model being damaged. I hope we can get our hot little hands on the other glossies, if we can! And good luck to anyone bidding on the live auction items! Also, don't forget to enter for the Friday and Saturday raffles, once the links go live on Friday. There are also some raffles for VIP ticket holders, which look to be pretty nice - one of them is for a glossy Ballynoe Castle from last year, so definitely worth entering. I can't wait! 

Featured Model - 7/11/2021, Glossy Bay Test Marwari

 Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured Model, the weekly blog event where I pick a model I don't own but would like to, give some stats on it and provide commentary about it. This week's model is...the Glossy Bay Test Marwari! 

This model was a Breyerfest live auction model back in the before times, when Breyerfest was still held in person. He was a OOAK on the Marwari mold sculpted by Brigitte Eberl. His sale price was nothing to sneeze at, either - $6700. Ouch! 

His paint job is so lush, I love it. There's a lot of depth to it and the gloss just makes it pop. He's beautiful! No wonder somebody spent that much money on it. The little bit of white on his face really sets off the paint job, too. Another one to make a person wish there was a money tree in their backyard.

As for the Marwari, he's getting another Breyerfest release this year, so it's good that he's getting some more love. But where else might we see him? I wouldn't mind if he showed up as a web special - maybe as a gazelle or something? He kind of has that look, I think. He's also prancy enough to make a good Holiday Horse - maybe next year? He's had a ton of auction models, so maybe they'll give him a rest in that area for a while. Hopefully we get a new release on him soon! 

Meadowlark is here!

 Good news, everyone - my Meadowlark is here! Behold the awesomeness! 

She's so shiny and pretty! 

Clearly I haven't had time to shelve earlier arrivals, as Goldfinch is back there looking disgruntled that someone else is stealing the spotlight. Or maybe he's trying to woo the pretty new lady? 

Unfortunately, she leaves a little to be desired in the quality department. Many little flecks of debris in her gloss and it looks like they started wrapping her up before the gloss was dry - she had something like tissue paper stuck to a couple of spots on her left front leg. It might warrant a replacement, but with Breyerfest a week away, it'd probably take a month or longer to get an exchange, if they even have any replacements. Blargh. 

Her tail has a lot of little bits of dust or whatever in the gloss, not that it's very visible in the photo. Well, if you can't see it, does it really matter? I don't show, so ultimately it's not that big of a deal, but still. 

I did get a shipping notice for my Fireheart model - yay! He won't be here until next week - the sooner the better! Woohoo, Breyerfest is only a week away! 

Fireheart, Breyerfest programs and the last auction models!

 Lots of announcements today - first off, today is the first day we can finally order our Fireheart models! 

As you may have guessed from some of my earlier posts...it looks like my Fireheart is going to stay with me after all. Based on the photos of the production piece, plus the newly released photo of his auction model....well,  yeah. The above photo didn't do him any favors for me, but the photos I've seen since then make it pretty clear he needs to stay here. 

And as a bonus, apparently they are actually in stock now and able to ship! That's definitely good news. 

Secondly, the print version of the Breyerfest program can now be ordered! 

They're $5 each (seems a bit steep..) and ship for free as long as you order them by themselves with no other merchandise. You can only order one per transaction for some reason, so if you want more than one...you'll have to do a new order for each one, I guess. But at least we're getting a print one this year! 

Lastly, the last six auction models have been unveiled! Behold: 

Oh boy, this might be our sale-topper right here. As an aside, did I make any '80s hair band jokes when Fireheart was first released? I feel like I did, but if not...he definitely looks like something an '80s hair band could appreciate, am I right? Haha! That's a really nice color, too! 

Wow, an Old Timer auction model! Too bad he looks...like an updated version of the Jake raffle model from 2002. At least the hat is a different color? 

With the way these auction models are looking, the raffle models may end up being this year's "chump change" items, since they're runs of 26. But I digress.

Interesting color on this one - looks like something you'd see on a bull. 

At first I thought this one was an extremely red chestnut, and didn't really like it. Then I realized it was supposed to be a decorator and warmed up to it a little...but only a little. Needs more paint for something that'll probably sell for $5,000 or more. 

And here it is...the long-awaited Hamilton auction model! This guy might be the sale-topper, too. That's a beautiful color...and glossy! I can't wait to see how much these models all sell for so I can hide somewhere and cry die of jealousy plot world domination for plastic ponies  rob a bank  hide somewhere and cry. 

That's all I've got for today! Can't believe we only have a little more than a week until Breyerfest! 

More auction models!

 Exciting news - more auction models were just posted on the blog! Let's take this from the top and start with the Othello! 

Ooh, an Othello! He's pretty much my favorite mold, so my heart sank a little when I saw this one. He reminds me of the auction Dundee from a couple years back. This one will go high, too. 

Ooh, another rainbow with gold mapping! This one looks incredible. I'd personally prefer silver mapping, but to each their own. Another one I'd love to own! 

Ooh, this one has a factory custom roached mane. Does this mean we'll get a RR or SR with roached mane in the future? I hope so. He's a beauty, too! 

I'm a little blah about this one - it's a beautiful color, with a lot of detail, but I feel like it's missing something. Maybe it should have been glossy? Who knows. 

A new zebra! Gasp! And such an electrifying (heh) color, too. It's been quite a while since Breyer used color-shift paint; maybe something new is on the horizon on that front? I hope so. 

And of course, our Saturday raffle, Bonheur. 

A point I forgot to make yesterday is that each new mold pictured here is another one knocked out of contention for the surprise model. I think it's probably safe to say the surprise won't be on the same mold as any of the auction models, since that hasn't happened since 2011 (when one of the rare surprises was in the auction). But I can't help but note that Desatado (and Forever Saige) haven't appeared in the auction yet...so hope is still alive! 

Finally, some auction models!

 Good news, everyone! (Happy 4th!) We have some amazing auction models to drool over! First up, this amazing Ruffian! 

She's described as a, "Glossy Neon Tiger with Blue Interference." Jaw-dropping! Do we have a sale-topper here? I think it's very likely. 

This Lady Phase looks like a test for Pima, am I right? Or maybe the Appaloosa Hero's Welcome? I imagine she'll go high too. 

We finally get an auction model on Vermeer! He's pretty, but I wish we had a different angle to look at - this is pretty much my least favorite angle of his. 

Another Weather Girl auction model! She's definitely a wild color. She almost looks glossy, though I think it's just a trick of the light. Another one I wouldn't mind having in my herd! 

Ooh, a Goffert! He reminds me of a shinier Java. His eye looks like he's scared of something on the ground in front of him. Haha! 

And lastly...

Be still, my heart. It's been a long time since we've had a Susecion/Le Fire release. These may also be sale-toppers. Look at the amount of detail on the mare! This pair makes me wish I could find a money tree behind my house! Alas...

That's all they've shown us for today - I hope we get more tomorrow! 

Featured Model - 7/3/2021, Gold Rush

 Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured Model, the weekly blog event where I pick a model I don't own but would like to, give some stats on it and provide commentary about it. You may have noticed that Featured Model was on hiatus last week; my apologies about that. Anyway, this week's model is...Gold Rush! 

This handsome guy was a raffle model at Breyerfest 2002. He's item #711417, and was a run of 26 on the Huckleberry Bey mold sculpted by Kathleen Moody. 

I wasn't that much of a fan of this model when he was first released - I thought he was too plain to be a raffle model. I guess I'll chalk that up to being young and dumb? He really is a nice color, with a lot of depth to it and plenty of shading despite being a simple palomino on the surface. I've actually seen a couple of Gold Rushes sell in the somewhat recent past, and for not-terribly-outrageous prices if I recall correctly. Perhaps there's hope that I'll own one eventually? For how pedestrian I found him 19 years ago, I'd be proud to own him today. 

As for Huck himself, he's always had his share of popularity, and has received a large number of releases in response - I have a good number of them on my shelves! His most recent Breyerfest appearance seems to have been 2015, so I'd say he's due to make another appearance there soon. Perhaps the surprise model? Or the volunteer model? Either would be okay with me...but not my bank account. If not Breyerfest, maybe as a TSC model? He was a web special in 2018, so I wouldn't expect them to use him there again. Either way, I hope his next release is obtainable! Haha...

Tobias is here!

 Good news, everyone! My Tobias model has arrived - behold! 

The promo photos made him look glossy, so I'm a tad disappointed that he isn't, but he's a really nice design otherwise. 

I feel like this paint job has flown under a lot of people's radar. All those teensy spots! The paint jobs on these models just keep getting better and better. 

Though, for all his detail, I wish he had eyewhites! But that's a minor complaint. I've seen some nasty quality issues with these guys, but other than being thin through the shoulders and some blurred masking, mine is pretty good. Definitely a flashy addition to my G2 Appaloosa collection! 

Breyerfest 2021 Program and Bonheur!

 Huzzah - the Breyerfest 2021 program is now available for viewing on the website! Check it out here. Nothing terribly exciting, other than the reveal of the second raffle model - they left out the auction model pages, obviously. They're probably still stinging from the Great Program Fiasco of 2014! Haha. I was a bit intrigued to note that they're actually doing some content at the KHP itself - I must have missed that. I'll have to check out some of those seminars, too - there's a few things there I'm interested in. Only two weeks from tomorrow and we'll all be reveling in Breyerfest once again! 

Our grand reveal for today was Bonheur, the second raffle model - and the astute viewers on the Internets were right - it is Roxy! 

That gloss is to die for! 

She's stunning, even if she is a little plain. I like her face marking, though. I'm also not sure why they're calling her a silver bay when she's clearly some type of liver chestnut? I think they did the same thing with Notoriously Framed. 

Anyway, that's it for today - but I'm super excited for Breyerfest now! Woohoo!