August 2021 Collector Club Newsletter!

 Well, it's the end of the month...which can mean only one thing. The August Collector Club newsletter is out! Check your email for more details. 

There's an interesting article on the history of Breyer doing the ol' hair switcheroo on various vintage molds. Most interestingly, it says the original version of the tool (or, the original tail) is destroyed when the new one is made...which might explain why the Vintage Club release Rosie (old-style red roan Lady Phase) was issued with the long tail, rather than her original tail (I wondered about this at the time). If the old tail is gone, they wouldn't have even been able to use it for that release. Maybe that was always known and I'm just slow on the uptake? Who knows. 

There have been a few short-tail Lady Phase releases since the new tails debuted, so it's possible they made enough whiteware of the old tail for some smaller releases...but not enough for the 500-piece run for the Vintage Club. 

Not much else to get excited about this month - there's a giveaway of a Truly Unsurpassed, presumably to tie in with the article. There's also this sneak peek! 

The next web special, presumably. Somebody's skinny ribs/girth area? Not sure who it could be, as the most likely suspects (Emerson and Lonesome Glory) have both been used for web specials fairly recently. Hmm...Strapless has visible ribs. Maybe it's her? I don't think Cigar fits the photo either. Fortunately, September is only a couple days away, so maybe we won't have to wait very long to find out what this one is! 

Featured Model - 8/29/2021, Spanish Barb

 Hello and welcome to 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 on it. This week's model is...the original porcelain Spanish Barb! 

This model was produced in 1994, run number unknown. He was one of the first sculptures Kathleen Moody did for Breyer, and one of her best if you want my opinion. He's item #79194. 

This model is a porcelain, and since the unfortunate Broken Adriano Incident of 2017, I'd decided I no longer want any porcelain models in my collection. This position hasn't changed - I picked this model so I could ask, "WHERE ARE MY PLASTIC SPANISH BARBS, BREYER?" 

If you'll remember, this model was finally (finally!) issued in something other than porcelain or resin in 2019, with the debut of the Majesty tree ornament (although that one may be some type of resin? Unsure on that). But! He was also used in three different releases as a Mini Whinny in 2020! So Breyer has clearly figured out whatever issues were blocking them from releasing this mold in a medium other than porcelain. Which brings me back to the question at hand - where are my plastic Spanish Barbs? This mold is one of my favorites of all time (though you wouldn't really know it, as I only have my poor broken Adriano and Majesty in my collection), and he needs more representatives! Give me some Stablemate Spanish Barbs! Majesty needs some company. 

Note: I am not intending this to be a complaint post...just a commentary, if you will. I certainly hope we get a Spanish Barb in next year's Stablemates Club lineup! Or perhaps a regular run, or something else obtainable? Maybe the Premier Club Stablemate? We need more, Breyer! 

2021 Tractor Supply models have been revealed!

 Well, now that Breyerfest is a done deal for most people, I guess it's time to talk about the new hotness - this year's Tractor Supply special runs! A planogram showed up on Facebook earlier this week, showing the names of this year's three special runs - Sayan (mustang), Cirrus (American Quarter Horse) and Wilder (Arabian-Appaloosa cross). Now we have photos of the actual setup as it's supposed to appear on the shelves. I'm not sure the photo was intended for public consumption, though, so I won't post it here - but anyway, the three molds in question are the Indian Pony (in...bay, I think?), Bobby Jo in dapple gray and...Ethereal (bay blanket Appaloosa)! Exciting! Fortunately, I only need the Ethereal, so I guess my husband will have to start haunting the local TSC! 

Featured Model - 8/21/2021, Fun Foals Ashley

 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 Fun Foals Ashley! 

This little filly was a run of "a few hundred" produced as item #1398 on the Ashley mold sculpted by Kathleen Moody. 

This model was one of the possible prizes one could receive when participating in the 2009 Treasure Hunt. Collectors had to find a mare and stallion and send in the UPCs from the boxes and received a free foal in return. I didn't return from my hobby hiatus until 2010, so I didn't participate in this treasure hunt. But I do remember seeing leftover Semi-Rearing Mustangs and Running Mares the following year or two (those weren't big sellers). Anyway, Ashley looks quite nice in black, but I've never been able to get one - you just don't see these for sale that often. 

Sheesh - if IDYB is correct, this mold hasn't been used since 2014. Poor Ashley doesn't even get to show up in this year's Vintage Club along with Marabella and Amber. I hope she gets another release eventually - we could always use some new foals. Maybe she'll get a new twins release with Amber? Let's hope so. We don't seem to get a lot of foal special runs anymore, and Amber/Ashley are almost 25 years old now (when did that happen?), so your guess is as good as mine. But we all know Breyer likes to throw a wrench in the works every once in a while, so maybe they'll get a fun web special release next year. Or even some kind of holiday release this year? Ooh, now I'm all excited! 

They're here! THEY'RE HERE!

 Excellent news, everyone! My last Breyerfest items have finally arrived, including my surprise models! Never fear - I made a checklist of everything I was supposed to receive, and it all arrived as ordered! When it comes to the special run models, I bought everything I was selected for. In what we'll call the "good old days," we didn't know which, if any, special runs would have variations, so I couldn't risk missing out on anything. I never suspected that every special run would have a variation, though, so I didn't bother to put Ansel and Pollock on my selections list since I'd already gotten them with my VIP order. If I had, I might have been able to buy another model, as there was one "Sorry, your selection wasn't available" showing on the webpage when I went to buy models. But it's just one model...with any luck I might be able to get a few more Ansels when the VIP sale happens next month! 

Anyway, amongst my special run models, I received three Uffingtons. No holographic "Uffs" here, sadly (Uff-dah!), but there was a surprising amount of variation between the three I did get.

It's easier to see in person, but the guy on top is much lighter than the other two and way less pearly. They're in order from least-to-most pearly. I'm actually tempted to keep the light one and one of the dark ones just because they're so different, but I'm not really a variation collector, so hopefully that urge passes.

They're all pretty nice in the quality department, too. And so big! Definitely a trio of longbois. 

They look disappointingly samey in the photos, but I can assure you they're very different in person! 

As for the other special runs, I also got three Tassilis and two Seurats. I was lucky enough to get one Marwari Tassili and two toupee-Tassilis, which made me pretty happy since I do actually like the alternate hairdo on the Toupee-Tassili, especially his swishy tail. Unfortunately, I did get two matte Seurats rather than the matte-and-glossy duo I was hoping for, so I'll be looking for a glossy one at some point. 

But, I digress. Let's get on with the show! I received nine Seven Arts Surprise models, and I had to wait all day today to open them! First, I piled everything on the couch:

The couch, full of plastic pony bounty! Oh, the suspense! 


Next, I very carefully opened each pink bag, pulled out the model inside, and put it on the floor next to me without looking at it. Then I took a picture of the pile, also (mostly) without looking at it: 

Then I started unwrapping them one at a time, not looking at them until I had them mostly out of the bubble wrap. I was hoping to get a nice selection of colors and at least one glossy...and here's the results! 

So, from left to right, that's two glossy sable champagnes (!), one matte sable champagne, one glossy maximum sabino, two matte maximum sabinos, a glossy palomino pintaloosa, a matte flaxen liver chestnut roan and a glossy flaxen liver chestnut roan. 

WHOA! I usually have decent luck getting glossies every year, but this is the best it's ever been. 5 out of 9 were glossy - that's more than half! Unfortunately, one of the glossy sable champagnes has some major issues - one of his hindquarters has a huge area of roughness in the gloss, he has a badly bent right eartip and the other eartip is just barely broken off. I had hoped to be able to trade it for a glossy decorator (pipe dream or not) but nobody's going to want him with ears like that. And Breyer isn't doing exchanges, so I guess I'll have to see if I can sell him, or just get a refund for him. Kinda disappointing, but I guess that's how it goes sometimes. It does seem odd not to have gotten a decorator though - in all the previous times there was a decorator in the surprise lineup, I always managed to get one - but I can live with it. Just another one to add to the purchase list. 

I didn't take photos of any of my other purchases, but there will be more photos later. In the meantime, I guess Breyerfest 2021 is finally over for me. I hope next year goes better (and is in person...!). 

Special run numbers have been revealed!

 The wait is finally over - Breyer revealed the special run breakdowns on the blog today! 

Here's the holographic Uffington (run of 200): 

The buckskin Pech Merle (50/50 split):

The blue/purple color-shift Gran Cavallo (run of 200):

The glossy Seurat (50/50 split):

The gold Knossos (run of 200):

The "Barb variation" of Tassili (50/50 split): 

The gold Pollock (run of 200): 

And lastly, the blue/black Ansel (200 pieces).

I'm glad the decorator variants are all a run of 200; that'll make it easier to find them on the secondary market later. Whew! The rest of my stuff is supposed to get here on Friday, so with any luck I'll open up a holographic Uffington, or a glossy Seurat, or the alternate Tassili. Or, if I'm really lucky, all three! Plus I'll have my surprise models to go through. It's going to be a fun day! I'll definitely be stalking that UPS driver...

My VIP order is here, and Raider!

 Good news, everyone! My Breyerfest VIP order has finally arrived - behold! 

I was a bit worried my Pollock would be swapped out for a Dani, as has happened to multiple people on Facebook, but turns out I had nothing to fear! 

As you can see, my other special run choice was Ansel and my two Limited Editions were Rheverence and Josie. I didn't get the variant version of Pollock or Ansel, obviously, but the rest of my stuff is supposed to get here on Friday, so I have plenty of chances for more! 

I can't remember the last time I was this excited for a Breyer model, so I'm super-glad Pollock is here and gracing my house with his presence! 

He's just so pretty! So glad I was able to get one. 

In a separate box with my swag, I also found my Kaleidoscope! 

I've seen a lot of variation in this run - many Kaleidoscopes have very large rainbow spots and comparatively less blue, while I prefer the bluer ones like this one. So I was happy to open him up! 

Quality-wise, they're all quite nice, except the badly-masked part of Kaleidoscope's forelock: 

I suppose I can live with it, though, because after all the waiting I've done for the past month, there's no way I'm going to wait even more. Welcome to the collection, Kaleidoscope! 

In other news, the fourth release of the 2021 Stablemates Club, Raider, is now available to purchase! 

I'm not a G1 Stablemates collector, so this guy will be looking for a new home. But I hope the shipping for these guys goes a little more smoothly than the Breyerfest shipping did...

Featured Model - 8/14/2021, Spindletop

 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...Spindletop! 

This handsome guy was a special run for the Lone Star Experience collector club event back in 2009. He was a run of 12 on the Nokota mold sculpted by Kathleen Moody.

As usual, this is another model I would love to have in my collection - that dark color is just scrumptious. What a beauty! Unfortunately, in October of 2009 I wasn't participating in the model horse hobby at all - I was working for the college newspaper and trying to finish college (and probably playing way too much World of Warcraft). I wouldn't have had the money for a Collector Club event anyway, so this is another model I'll have to admire from afar. Fortunately, he does have a somewhat similar and more attainable release in Sundance, but that one may still set you back a couple of Benjamins. Let's hope the hobby price bubble pops soon, eh? 

As for the Nokota, he hasn't been used since he was the Phantom Face event model for the Scottsdale Stampede in 2018, and Illumination earlier that year. I'd say he's about overdue for a new release - perhaps a new web special? He was part of the Big Cats series in 2017, so he may not be used in the Animals series this year, but maybe sometime next year? Or maybe he'll get some kind of holiday web special release. He's only been a web special twice in the last 10 years, so it's possible. I guess we'll see! 

Breyerfest volunteer model has been revealed!

 Good news, everyone! Breyer has revealed this year's Breyerfest volunteer model on the blog. Say hello to Thornycroft! 

From the blog: 

Thomas Thornycroft was a 19th century English sculptor and engineer that lived and worked in London and contributed many iconic works to that city’s landscape.  But the one we were most inspired by was the colossal representation of Bouddicea and Her Daughters on Westminster Bridge, which features semi-rearing horses not unlike this handsome guy.

 

Handsome indeed! I hope I can get ahold of one someday.  While the blog declined to say how many of these were produced (it'll be in JAH later this year), they did say that seven of them were glossed for the volunteer managers. I've seen one of  them on Facebook and he's definitely stunning in gloss! 

A couple of small updates

 Hello, readers! I don't have much to report on the Breyerfest front, but the rest of my Dani models did arrive yesterday! There were nine of them spread out between three boxes, but nary a magnet to be seen. I hope I get at least one with the rest of my orders...oh well. Of the rest of my orders, the rest of my VIP order has finally shipped and is scheduled to arrive on Monday, and my Kaleidoscope and a couple of swag items will arrive on Tuesday. Still waiting for shipping notices for the other 19 items I'm due...so hopefully it won't be too long before those ship! I'm dying to open my surprise models and see what I'm getting! 

In other news, there are new blind bag Stablemates at Tractor Supply. Boo, hiss, etc. But, this means we'll probably see this year's TSC special runs soon! Yay! As usual, I don't have photos of these Stablemates yet, but the molds and colors are as follows:
Buckskin Icelandic
Chestnut Peruvian Paso
Leopard Appaloosa G4 Hanoverian
Liver Chestnut Dungaree
Dark bay/black Valegro

There is a chase and a super chase in this set (groan). One of them is the shrunken Prince Charming in Copenhagen - the other hasn't been found yet (the bag suggests a shrunken Big Ben, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything) Edit: The other chase is a blue chrome Dungaree! Looks like I may have to hit up our local TSC stores - hopefully I can feel my way to success, since the only ones I need from that assortment (so far) are the Paso and the Icelandic. That, or buy them from people's inevitable surplus collection later - that would probably be the better plan. 

That's all I have for now - hopefully the rest of my Breyerfest stuff ships soon so I can stop obsessively checking the website! 

7 Arts Surprise number breakdown and another shipping update!

 Good news, everyone! The numbers for the 7 Arts Surprise models have been released! Firstly, here's a photo of them together (I hope this isn't a spoiler for anyone...)

And here's the numbers: 

Rainbow Leopard Appaloosa with Blue Interference - 700 Matte, 325 Glossy

Flaxen Liver Chestnut Roan - 900 Matte, 325 Glossy

Palomino Pintaloosa - 975 Matte, 325 Glossy

Sable Champagne Minimal Splash Pinto - 800 Matte, 325 Glossy

Bay Maximum Sabino - 1000 Matte, 325 Glossy

 

I'm still hoping I get the decorator - I'm not picky about the finish (though I wouldn't say no to both, natch).  But those colors are all really nice (the liver chestnut roan's similarity to Peptoboonsmal aside). I have nine of them coming, so I'm still holding out hope that I'll get a nice selection of colors, but I guess that still remains to be seen. I do have 3 boxes from CCG arriving tomorrow, so I'm hoping all of my purchases (or at least some of them) will be included with that - but I suspect it's just my Dani models. Guess I'll find out tomorrow! 

In other news, Breyer has addressed the shipping debacle with an email to VIP ticket holders:

VIP Ticket Holder,

We appreciate your ongoing patience as our fulfillment team continues to process the BreyerFest orders. Many of you have received your models at this point, and we hope you love them as much as we do!  We understand and recognize that your Special Run and Limited Edition orders did not arrive in the time frame originally set forth when tickets went on sale in January.  As most of you know, shipping has been disrupted and delayed on a global level. Several of our BreyerFest Special Run models did not arrive to our warehouse in time to make those shipping dates, thereby disrupting the shipping plan for VIP orders. We apologize for the delay and lack of communication prior to now. We had planned that orders would have been received at your homes earlier than what has occurred.   

 As a special Thank You to each of you for your support and patience, we are creating a custom VIP pin featuring our gorgeous rainbow 7 Arts Surprise model. The pin is already in development and will be shipped later this year to the shipping address listed on your account. We can’t wait to see it as part of your Breyer pin collection! 

But there’s more! VIP ticket holders will also be given exclusive early access to purchase available BreyerFest 2021 Special Runs included in our 2nd Chance Sale!  The sale is tentatively planned for early September; we will keep you posted on the exact date and time the sale will open. More details to come! 

Again, we appreciate your understanding and support of BreyerFest and the joy this event creates for so many fans. 

See you in ’22 – Prost!

See, this is good. All we wanted was some communication about what was going on, and now we have it. Thanks to Breyer for setting the record straight. As for the mea culpa gifts, I'm not really a big pin collector, but more chances to buy special runs are always appreciated (maybe for a small discount, huh? Huh? Too much?). Now I'm even more excited to see if I got any of the variant colors! Off to check my UPS tracking again...

Edit: I forgot to mention that the Fireheart ordering window is finally open, so if you're a Premier Club member who hasn't ordered him yet, get your order in now! 

Featured Model - 8/7/2021, Blue Tiger Ruffian

 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 Blue Tiger Auction Ruffian! 

This model is a OOAK produced for the 2017 Breyerfest Live Auction. She was produced on the Ruffian mold sculpted by Sue Sifton. 

We all know Breyer likes to do some crazy decorators sometimes, so it was no big surprise that they'd do a variant version of a tiger for the live auction. If I remember right, this was one of the hidden lots for that year's auction. Anyway, she sure looks good as a blue tiger! And if you had a regular Padma, they'd complement each other! Good stuff. They used the tiger template on Ruffian again this year to great effect, so I imagine we'll see more decorator tigers on her in the future. 

As for Ruffian, it's been a little while since she had a new release - maybe she'll be one of this year's Tractor Supply special runs? We should be finding out about those soon. She was a Mid-States special run back in 2008 (back when those used to be a thing) but hasn't been used for TSC yet, so you never know. She last appeared at Breyerfest in 2018, so it might not be a stretch to imagine her being used there next year, maybe - I'm sure Breyer could find a way to shoehorn her into the Germany theme. Maybe she'll be the surprise model? I guess we'll see! 

No, no, make it stop! I can't take any more!

 More and more variations on the Breyerfest models keep showing up! I don't have any photos I can use, but there's a colorshift purple/blue Gran Cavallo, smoky black with (opal?) sparkly interference Uffington, gold with rainbow spots Pollock (!!!!) and I've just seen a report of a gold Knossos. Crazy! Now I'm wishing I'd allowed more substitutions on my special run list - I'm not looking forward to trying to get that gold Pollock. 

People are speculating that these variations are more than just micro runs, due to the sheer number of them we've seen in the last few days, but it's hard to really say until more start showing up. I'm all in favor of the run sizes being more than 30 or so, because in the past they've kept those micro runs limited to anniversary years - more than that and people start expecting them to do it. Then again...maybe they've discovered that they can just about guarantee selling out of everything if there might be super-valuable micro runs mixed in? I don't think there were a whole lot of leftovers in 2019 due to that. I guess we'll have to wait until Breyer announces the breakdowns before we can really draw any conclusions. My stuff is now all scheduled to arrive on Tuesday (at least I hope it's all of it) so I'm super-excited to see what I get now! 

Expected (and unexpected) variations are showing up!

 Exciting news, everyone - the Breyerfest special run variations are starting to show up! So far we have a glossy Seurat and a Tassili with the alternate mane/tail/ears combination. Most interestingly, today someone received a metallic blue Ansel, and someone else got a glossy buckskin Pech Merle. I don't have photos of any of these that I can use yet, but they're definitely pretty! I suspected Seurat would end up being the matte/glossy split - I thought he would be very pretty in gloss, and he is! And in retrospect, it was kind of a no-brainer that they'd use the alternate ears/hair combination on the Tassili.

The Ansel is throwing me off a little bit - people are now speculating that all of the special runs will have some kind of micro run within them, which is something they normally only do on an anniversary year...dang it! I'm only getting one Ansel and Pollock (they were my VIP choices), so I'll have to be satisfied with what I get there. As for the others, I'm getting three Uffingtons, three Tassilis and two Seurats, so hopefully I have some luck with getting these variations. This is what I was afraid of...but, good thing I (reluctantly) bought everything I was drawn for, or I'd have been even more upset. Unfortunately, I still haven't gotten a single tracking number for anything I bought, so I'll still be waiting a while (especially considering the dumpster fire that the shipping has been). Hopefully I see something soon! 

Oh, and Breyer has said on Facebook that there won't be a website certificate for the 7 Arts Surprise like there are for the rest of the special runs, so print away! 

Edit: I just checked the UPS website and it looks like some shipping labels have been generated for my address, for delivery next week! Let's hope they go out today!

Edit 2: The volunteer model has been revealed - it's Desatado! Sigh...So I was right about them using him for this year's Breyerfest, at least. Anyways, he's a beautiful color - think Shalimar. Not sure how I'm going to get one this year - I won't have a glossy surprise to trade, so I'll just have to find the money for it. I wonder if there are multiple colors again like last year?