Featured Model - 12/10/2022, 2004 Auction Rain

 Hello and welcome to Featured Model, the (weekly?) blog event where I pick a model I don't own but may have an interesting story behind it, give some stats on it and provide commentary about it. This week's model is...the 2004 Breyerfest Auction Rain! 

What a pretty model! She was a OOAK done on the somewhat-underused Rain mold sculpted by Kathleen Moody. She was sold at the 2004 Breyerfest Live Auction and sold for the princely sum of $1,400, if IDYB is to be believed (no reason to think it wouldn't be). 

IDYB lists her as a Silver Dun Overo, which is probably what it says on the info card there in front of her, but she looks more like an early attempt at dunalino to me. With some metallic and gloss thrown in there as well. I wonder where she is now? Many of these auction models from 20 years ago and before seem to have disappeared into the mists of time. It would be interesting to see where they are now! Hopefully not lost in a storage unit somewhere (which has happened at least once). 

As for Rain, the reason she hasn't been used much is probably because most collectors seem to have turned up their nose at her due to her cartoonishness. She did make a return as Chica Linda in the Spirit Riding Free collection in 2018, but doesn't seem to have been too popular as she was only in the lineup for a year. Poor Rain gets no respect! Uh...including from me, I guess, as I don't have any Rains in my collection. Her only other appearance as an auction model was quite nice, too.  So it's hard to say where we might see her again - perhaps as a Holiday Horse? I don't see her fitting in at Breyerfest anytime soon, but you never know. I guess we'll have to wait and see! 

Featured Model - 4/23/2022, Golden Dun Hanoverian

 Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured Model, the weekly blog event where I pick a model I don't own but but has an interesting history behind it, give some stats on it and provide commentary on it. This week's model is...the 2004 Breyerfest Auction Golden Dun Hanoverian! 

This model was a OOAK produced on the Hanoverian mold sculpted by Chris Hess. I almost featured this auction model instead (he's a palomino version of the Art Deco special run for JCP, a prized member of my carpet herd back in the day), but the Golden Dun won out because of his glossiness.

I was drawn to this model because he looks like he may be a test for Goin for Gold, a really great color and one of my favorites on Lonesome Glory. I have a small soft spot for the Hanoverian due to my aforementioned Art Deco model, who I really should have kept. Oh well. He looks great in this color! He sadly doesn't get many releases these days, but I thought this auction model from 2010 was a really nice color too. 

It's hard to say where the Hanoverian might be used next - he's not terribly popular, but he did get to make an appearance as last year's Breyerfest diorama contest prize Stubbs, so maybe that'll lead to another appearance somewhere else? Maybe they'll drag him out for a web special later this year or something - I doubt he'll get a RR anytime soon (his last RR appearance was in 2009). In any case, I hope he gets another auction model someday, as he's only had a handful over the years.

Featured Model - 3/12/2022, Bay Rabicano Auction PAS/PAF

 Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured Model, the weekly blog event where I pick a model that I don't own but has an interesting history behind it, give some stats on it and provide commentary on it. This week's model is...the 2004 Breyerfest Auction Bay Rabicano Proud Arabian Stallion! And the Foal, as well. 

These models were OOAK test models produced on the Proud Arabian Stallion and Proud Arabian Foal molds sculpted by Chris Hess.

Wow! I had no idea these two models even existed. I was perusing IDYB, looking for models to write about, and this guy jumped out at me when I clicked on the Proud Arabian Stallion's page. They're painted to match the Connoisseur Shalimar model on the Proud Arabian Mare mold. What a beautiful family they'd make! It would be amazing to have these in my collection. I hope their owner has a Shalimar so they can all be together. Here's the foal:

I guess that just goes to show that Breyer should make more family sets, since they don't seem to do that very much anymore - the only recent exception I can think of is the OOAK glossy Dominante/Fantasia Del C/Gozosa set that was sold at Breyerfest a few years ago, though I'm probably forgetting something. We get plenty of mare and foal sets, but not so many stallions (though I guess we do get plenty of  Classics/Freedom Series families, now that I think about it). Well, whatevs - we need a new Traditional family, says I! 

Not sure where we could expect to see the PAS/PAF used next - vintage molds tend to get shoved aside by newer ones, though I'll note we haven't seen the PAF in the Vintage Club yet, and we still haven't seen the full lineup for this year - maybe we'll get something there? Hmm, maybe a PAS/PAM/PAF family set in, like...Appaloosa Performance Horse paint? That's already been done on test models, but that doesn't necessarily keep Breyer from using it in a wider release. And I'm sure they'd be popular. Failing the APH colors, maybe buckskin? Probably wouldn't sell as well, though. Either way, it's definitely a possibility. They'd probably be spendier than the usual Vintage Club release, too, but I suspect collectors wouldn't mind that too much. It'd certainly be exciting to see! 

Featured Model - 7/18/20, Nobel II

Hello and 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. Featured Model was on hiatus last week due to Breyerfest, but since we're only a week out from that event...this week's model is Nobel II!



This handsome guy is item #710104, a run of 4,500 on the Andalusian Stallion mold sculpted by Kathleen Moody.

Nobel II was one of my Breyerfest purchases last year, before the Hero's Welcome surprise was revealed. Little did I know I'd be bringing home so many other Andalusian Stallions with him! But this guy definitely holds his own. He was the Breyerfest Celebration Horse back in 2004, and while it's a little irksome that it took me so long to find one, his acquisition was definitely better late than never. I love gray horses, and Nobel II is no exception - he has great shading and his brand is a nice touch.

As for the Andalusian Stallion, I expect he won't be used much for a while, due to the aforementioned Hero's Welcome appearance at Breyerfest 2019. But I suppose he could show up as a web special or something - I don't think he's ever been a web special, and it would be trivial to set aside 350 bodies for a web special. Or maybe he'll be a collector club special run? We never did get a preview of this year's second one, so you never know - he might show up there, or at Tractor Supply. Wherever he gets used again, I hope it's one I can get!