2024 Collector Event, and more!

 Exciting news today, readers - the 2024 Collector Event has been announced! I’m typing this post on my phone while traveling for the holidays, so please forgive any formatting errors.

Ooh, interesting! We’re heading to Oklahoma City this time. I was just thinking about this event the other day and the possibilities for the theme - though I thought it would probably be in New Jersey, since it’s been almost 10 years since the last NJ collector event.

So, here are the ticket models for the event! Each attendee will receive these models as part of their ticket. Behold!

Whew! Nothing I need so far. Nice color on the Bobby Jo, though. The tickets are being done via lottery again, and I’m definitely going to try to enter - I’ll have started a new job by then, but I’m hopeful that I’d be able to take Friday off if I managed to be drawn to attend. Shouldn’t be too hard to jump on a Thursday night flight to OKC from where I am if I do get chosen. I’d be thrilled to be able to report from the event as it’s happening - I haven’t been able to do that since 2016! But I’d better not start counting my chickens before they’re hatched. Let’s just hope I manage to get drawn.

In other news, we got another Stablemates Club reveal today, too! Say hello to Wallowa!

So this is the G1 release for next year! And he’s being released in a glossy and matte finish - bad(ish) news for people who collect him, not-so-bad for people who don’t, like me. Huzzah! Kind of a strange color - why are the spots on the front half of his body so light? Actually, he looks like a fleabitten gray in front and black Appaloosa in the back. Maybe he started graying out in front first. At any rate, he’s nothing I need, so I’m going to need a little more encouragement before I join the club for next year. Maybe we’ll get another reveal tomorrow?

In other, other news, people who shelled out the money for the expedited shipping on the Wassail models started receiving them today (!), and while I don’t have any photos I can use just yet, they’re definitely interesting-looking. No one has gotten a Coal yet, but all four of the other colors have appeared. First off, none of them have bald faces, so I have no idea how that description got into the original description on the website yesterday. Secondly, I guess “with filigree” just means “filigree” after all, because both the red and the green “with filigree” were the same as every other filigree model we’ve ever seen, except they don’t have bald faces and look a little weird as a result. The colors look nice though! I was just kinda hoping for a slightly more interesting paint job…and they would have tied in really well with the Swirls’n’Snowflakes horses. Oh well. 

That’s all I have for today, and I’m tired after a day of traipsing through airports. Let’s hope there’s more exciting stuff to post about tomorrow!

Finally more auction models, and Cancion!

 Greetings, readers! Exciting news- we finally get to see some more auction models today! Not sure why the photos are weirdly cropped, but anyways - behold:

It's a "Flaxen Liver Chestnut Frame Overo" on Desatado. Looks chalky, too, so I'm surprised they didn't mention that since they usually do. Nice color! 

Ooh, this one I love! He's a "glossy, pearly reverse dapple blue roan" on Vermeer. He's amazing! Interesting that his head isn't solid black like a roan should be, but I love him anyway! I wonder how much he'll sell for. 

Next is a "glossy rainbow pintaloosa with holographic harness." I guess it's hard to make the holographic part show up on camera, but dang, it just looks silver to me. Anyway, that's Pollock's colorway underneath the harness - looks pretty good on the Old Timer! He'll probably go pretty high. I like his blue hat, too! 

Ooh, this is a really nice color on Bobby Jo (blue roan pintaloosa), and she even has a dark head! Very nice. 

Lastly, this is a "silver bay tobiano" on Roy. He's not the most popular mold, but actually looks pretty good in this paintjob.

That's all of the auction models for today. Dare I hope the program is available this week? It was released on June 22 last year, so maybe it'll be released around the same time this year. Only 20 days until we leave! Woohoo! 

In other news, Cancion is finally available for purchase! 

I'm getting a glossy one, so I'll be putting in my order as soon as I get paid on Friday. Woohoo! I'm glad he isn't as delayed as Zafirah was last year. Let's hope the supply chain is getting back to normal? I've tentatively found a matte one to buy as well, so it'll be fun to see these guys in person. I hope they get here before we leave! 

Also, my last set of Breyerfest tickets came, and sure enough - all Jump & Drive and Stagecoach Surprise tickets. So I'll be looking to trade for at least one Scurry ticket! Shouldn't be too hard to find one (I hope).

That's all I have for today - let's hope we get more exciting reveals tomorrow! 

Fall Releases are announced!

 Exciting news, everyone - Breyer's fall releases have been announced! Say hello to the Fall Decorator, Jewels:

Dealers are only being allowed to purchase 18 of these initially, but there's no word on whether they'll join the regular line next year like Equidae did. So I guess we'll have to wait and see. 

Next, here's this year's brick-and-mortar special run! 

Certainly an interesting color on Bobby Jo, and she's glossy! She's limited to 3,000 pieces, but not all of them will be delivered this year due to shipping delays (as usual). So get your orders in early! 

There's also a new puzzle, featuring many popular unicorn releases over the years - including a flipped Alaric! Check it out: 

Seems weird to see Huck flipped like that. Oh well. Uh, he also needs to look where he's going before he trots right off that cliff and ends up in the water! Haha. 

None of this is anything I need - it's been a great year for cutting back on my model horse purchases! That gloss on Kendall is pretty nice, though.

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! 

2020 Fall Releases!

 Good news, everyone! Breyer's fall releases have been announced! Behold this year's Limited Edition!

Oooh, Spectrum is pretty. But I don't collect Bobby Jo! Must...resist...rainbow...

And here's the brick-and-mortar special run! 

I'm much more excited about Raia - we haven't had a new flip tail on Justadream for ages, and I love the bay with high white socks. She's gotta find her way to my house! Too bad she's the brick-and-mortar special run and we don't have any of those around here. Hopefully I can get my hands on one eventually...

ETA: Oops, I missed the other two releases. There are two new carry stable sets! Observe:

From left to right, the molds in there look like the Cob (gold charm?), the G2 Standardbred (woodgrain?) or perhaps the G2 Thoroughbred, the new mini Indian Pony (chestnut leopard Appy?), a black Charleston, the mini MFT in white, and a bay G2 Paso Fino on the end. Darn, I'm going to have to buy this one. 

Here's the other carry stable! 

Fortunately, none of those unicorns look new. It's Magnolia, the G2 Clydesdale, the G3 Arabian, Magnolia again, another G3 Arabian and Alborozo. These are interesting new additions to the line, though - I don't think they've done a carry stable in quite a while. 

There's also a new Land Rover and trailer set with a G3 Highland Pony and G2 Shetland Pony:

That's all I have for now. Sheesh, it seems like it's been ages since Breyer released anything new. Keep it coming, guys! 

Finally, some auction models!

With Breyerfest barely more than three weeks away, I've been wondering when Breyer was going to show us some auction models. Well, now I don't have to wonder anymore - the first four were posted on the Breyerfest Blog yesterday! Here's the first, on Emerson:

That's a really nice color on him, and I love the mapping! The description says he's chalky, but I don't see it, myself. Maybe on closeup inspection? I like the model, and I want to like Emerson, but that angle isn't doing anything for me. Maybe my Emerson will be for sale at Breyerfest after all...

Well, anyway, on to the next model!

The blog describes this Bobby Jo as a "Flaxen Liver Chestnut Roan." Kind of an odd-looking color, but I could get behind it on some other molds. Bristol, perhaps? Or Brishen? Or Ashquar? Ooh, that would be really nice.

The blog says this is a test for last year's Dark Horse Surprise set, but it looks more like a test for the raffle model Jackpot if you ask me. He's even glossy! Sadly, I like this color better on this Smarty Jones than I did on Bristol for some reason.

This Marwari is definitely my favorite of the four. That glossy dark bay is to die for! I wonder what outrageous price he'll sell for at the auction. Marwari auction models tend to sell on the low end of the spectrum, but I suspect that might not be the case this year. 

Out of the Blue is now available to order!

Attention Bobby Jo fans! Out of the Blue, the first Collector Club special run for 2019, is now available on the website!

She's nothing I need to buy, fortunately, although that's a nice color on her. If the Idocus model the Collector Club members voted on at Breyerfest last year winds up being this year's second Collector Club special run, I won't need to buy either of them this year! I always like it when Breyer decides to go easy on my pocketbook!

Scottsdale Stampede special runs are out, plus 2019 Premier Club!

Greetings all! Although I'm sad I didn't get to go to the Scottsdale Stampede, it's still exciting to see the new reveals! Here are the special runs for the event! Thanks to Jennifer for the photo!




Group A:

Bolo, (buckskin?) Show Jumping Warmblood, 124 pieces
Oakley, (bay splash pinto) Lady Phase, 76 pieces

Group B:

Sonorah, (perlino Bobby Jo), 60 pieces
Pima, (silver/gray appaloosa) Fighting Stallion, 56 pieces
Prescott, (blue/black Huck), 44 pieces
Chica Bonita, (chestnut sabino Wixom), 40 pieces

Well...I hate to admit it, but now I'm kind of glad I'm not there. The only special runs I'd be interested in are Bolo and Prescott - hopefully I can get my hands on those without too much trouble. Sonorah is pretty, though! I'm not sure how the Show Jumping Warmblood or the Wixom fit the western/Arabian theme, but trying to make sense of Breyer's choices for themes will only drive me insane, so I'm not going to complain about it too much...except I would have expected to see more than just one Arabian in this lineup.  I'm really hoping the Prescott is some type of blue-black decorator, though, because a solid black Huck is...not very visually exciting, and certainly doesn't make me want to spend the amount of money it would cost to get one of a run of 44.

No word on the Stablemate yet, which is disappointing. I guess those aren't being handed out until Sunday.

And I'm glad the special runs are being divided into two groups - otherwise I'm sure people at the end of the line would end up with multiple Bolos, and nobody wants that.

So that just leaves the Stablemate and the Saturday centerpiece model as the remaining reveals. I'm hoping for Mirado for the Stablemate, since he doesn't seem to be terribly popular, which would theoretically make it easy to get my hands on one. As for the centerpiece model, the trend for the last few events has been to use older, less-popular molds - so my money is on Buckshot. He hasn't been used for much for the past several years other than prize models, so he seems as likely a choice as any.

In other exciting news, the 2019 Premier Club is now open for membership! For the low, low, non-refundable deposit of $100, you too can join the club and hope you like whatever's being released next year. Not that I joined again or anything...Now if only they'd show us the rest of the 2019 Vintage Club releases!

Out of the blue (literally!)

Suddenly, another new reveal on the website! I guess our long news drought is over. Say hello to Out of the Blue, the (presumably) first Collector Club special run of 2018!



Well, she's a nice color, but nothing I need to buy, fortunately.

My grump is with that entire blog post - did anyone bother to proofread or edit it before it was published? Are those clueless interns still in charge of Breyer's blogging? It's bad enough that the photo is obviously Photoshopped onto that background, but that second sentence of the post is incredibly awkward.

"Breyer does not think so."

Did a robot write this stuff? They should have just written:

"Breyer doesn't think so." 

They also forgot to capitalize Working Cow Horse later in the post, but that's not as big of a deal. Get it together, Breyer writers!

Custom Contest prizes!

The Breyerfest Custom Contest prizes have been revealed! Say hello to the grand prize, All Out!



Oh, she's pretty. I almost want her! That bay looks so nice on her; too bad there's only 6 of her. So pretty!

From the blog:

All Out was named after the slang term used in horse racing when a horse gives it everything they've got, just like our Best Customs contest entrants!

I was going to give them some guff for naming a model that's clearly not going all-out All Out, but I guess the blog does say the name is referring to the contest entrants, not the model. I stand corrected!

Now, on to the finalist prize!  Meet In the Running!



Surprise, surprise - he's an alternate color of Shiloh from the 2016 Stablemate Club. It's a clever idea, although I thought the mini-me of Geronimo we got last year was a cute idea. Oh well. Not sure how a dressage model relates to racing, but maybe they're trying to evoke Zenyatta's dance moves.

All in all, these are both prizes worthy of the Customs Contest. Fortunately, I don't collect either mold, so I don't have to feel sad for not having the artistic skills to enter the contest. If you are planning on entering, though, you'd better brush up on your skills (hah). Entries are due on June 14!

Custom Contest prizes?

There's a new hint on the blog. Another tiny photo; what a joy to look at!



Looks like a Bobby Jo shoulder/neck. But wait - haven't we seen that pinto pattern before?



Not only is it the Bobby Jo mold...but it looks like an alternate color of Bobby Jo herself. Now where we have seen that before...?

Oh yeah! It's how they do the Breyerfest custom contest prize every year. Maybe this year they decided to do the prize model on a mold that's already been released to collectors, instead of using the one that's ostensibly only supposed to be available to Premier Club subscribers for the first year of its release?

In any case, if this is the custom contest prize, at least I don't have to feel bad about my lack of customizing skills like I usually do. Huzzah! But if you are a Bobby (or Working Cow Horse, going by Breyer's terms) fan, you'd better put your skills to work. The competition is pretty tough!

EDIT: There's another sneak peek on the blog! Check it out:



I'm adding it on to this post because I think it's the mini-me Stablemate prize for the Customs Contest runners-up. But which mold? I'm not sure, actually...and the pattern doesn't appear to match Bobby Jo's, either. So who is it supposed to be? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Live Auction Lot 19 - Yee-Haw!

I hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th! After yet another hidden auction lot (grrrr....), we're back in action today with a Bobby Jo!



The website describes her as a silver grullo, but she looks gray to me. Actually, she reminds me of this auction Flash from last year (but less brownish), or this one from 2013. But she does have a super-luscious coat of gloss. I don't collect Bobby Jo, but she'd make a nice addition to anyone's collection.

Looking forward to tomorrow's auction lot - but something tells me it may be something we've already seen. Time will tell!

We have a crystal!

The Breyerfest crystal horse has been revealed! Meet Madhuri!

 

From the blog:

Madhuri is the BreyerFest Gateway to India crystal model and is based on the Working Cow Horse model (mold 731) originally sculpted by Morgen Kilbourn. Madhuri is named for a legendary Bollywood actress and dancer, Madhuri Dixit.

The technique for making the crystal models has definitely improved over the years - just compare Madhuri to something like Passion - but I won't be buying one all the same. The fewer breakable things in my house, the better.  Madhuri is definitely better-looking than a lot of the earlier crystal horses, though - I'll give them that.

A Flood of New Releases!

Wow! We got a lot of new release photos today. I can't wait to see them all in person! Modellpferdeversand has them posted. Here's an official photo of Hwin:



I cant wait to get her! Forever Saige looks great in gray.

Another release is a new Action Stock Horse Foal, apparently named Van Gogh:

 

He won't be joining my herd, sadly. But that leaves more money for other things! 

Another one is Paint Me a Pepto, a portrait on Bobby Jo:

 I won't be buying this one either, but Bobby Jo sure looks snazzy in black and white!

Next is Fantasia Del C, who we saw on the cover of JAH...and she comes with a foal! 

His name is Gozosa, apparently. I'm going to have to buy them...the only question is when. Maybe I can get my husband to buy them for my birthday.

Next is...the return of Foalzilla, as "Espresso."

Color me surprised...I thought this was another one of those things that would be labeled "Failed Experiments" and quietly disappear, never to be seen again. I suppose they want to get some more use out of the mold to justify making it in the first place. I didn't buy any of the Camilas, as the mold didn't appeal to me and I didn't see the point of introducing a new scale we likely won't see any adults in, simply due to sheer size. Who knows; maybe they'll expand the line if this release does well.

But I digress! Next is a new Classics set, Heroes of the West:

Harper fans, rejoice! That's a really nice color on her. But...is she being used as the stallion for this set? That's odd. Looking at the in-box photo, maybe the Standing Thoroughbred is the stallion? Confusing. Oh snap- I just noticed that's a new Hansel I'll need to get my hands on.

Next is a palomino "Morgan" and foal, featuring Liam again!

 

Can't say I'm the biggest fan of those palomino paint jobs, but whatevs (and the foal is going to look very similar to the Springtime Frolic one). That's a lot of releases for Liam in one year, but I'm not complaining! I may have issues clearing shelf space, though.

Next is a new Classics Arabian set, featuring Sagr and the Trotting Stock Horse Foal!

They look similar to the liver chestnut Cl. Black Beauty I posted about a couple of days ago. Interesting. Neither will be coming home with me, however.

Next we have another Arabian set, this time in gray:

The Black and the Morgan Foal look a little greenish...dare I say, Green Eggs and Sham greenish? This is most apparent in the in-box photo. Hopefully Breyer can get that cleaned up. They won't be joining my herd either way, however.

Lastly, we have Starry Night, on the Cl. Morgan Mare:

 

I see Breyer is trying to get in on the "Galaxy Horse" customizing craze that's been sweeping some parts of the Internet. That's not a bad thing, if only they'd put it on a mold I collect.

There's also a page entry for Bandera, the bronze Geronimo, but no photo. Hopefully they get that fixed soon. EDIT: The Bandera photo is now up!



I like Geronimo, and I like a bronze Geronimo, but I'm not sure how I feel about the brands. I'll most likely still buy one, but it seems a little odd. Oh well.

That seems to be it for now, but I also heard murmurings about a new Connemara Mare for the brick-and-mortar SR - I'm probably safe on that front. Sugarloaf is the only Connemara Mare in my collection, though I've been thinking about buying a Banks Vanilla. We'll have to see what color the SR is. I'll be sure to keep the blog updated!

Avalanche is here!

We have a new arrival in the house! Thanks to a generous Blabber, I was able to obtain an Avalanche, and she came in the mail yesterday. Behold!

I didn't see any glaring flaws on her, either! Which is good, because the box she came in had a hole punched in the side, covered with packing tape (!). Darn post office and/or packer. Oh well; at least she made it here in one piece.

From the stock photos, I thought she'd be more of the old-style silver filigree like the PAM, but that wasn't the case. Must have just been the sample they used - though it looks like there's been a lot of variety within the run from all the different Avalanche photos I've seen so far. Either way, she's welcome to join the group! Welcome to the silver sparklepony herd, Avalanche!

Breyer Winter Web Special - Avalanche!

Breyer has a new winter web special available for entry - Avalanche, on the Bobby Jo mold!



I have to say I'm a bit surprised about the mold choice - I hoped for the Fell Pony, but Forever Saige seemed more likely. Oh well.

I was on the fence about Bobby Jo and finally sold mine earlier this year after a lot of going back and forth on whether I liked her enough to keep her. I'll be entering for Avalanche regardless, because I collect the silver filigrees, but....just wish it had been on the Fell Pony instead. The color does look good on Bobby Jo, though. She'll have to live on the shelf next to Sugarloaf, Time to Party and Grane as sole mold representatives.

Entries close at 11:59 pm on 11/14. Good luck to everyone who enters!