More auction models, another Zafirah delay and Breyerfest merch!

 Well, I'll get the bad news out of the way first: we got another shipping update from Breyer, and Zafirah has been delayed again. Breyer now anticipates her to be in stock in late July/early August. I guess that might give us a little time to recover from Breyerfest? Let's hope so. 

Now that that's over with, let's take a look at today's auction model reveals! Here's a weird-looking dapple gray Sherman Morgan: 

Maybe they left out the part where he's also a pinto? A...really weird pinto? Just odd. 

Next, here's a stunning Brishen! 

Mmm, yes please. Looks similar to the auction Alborozo from 10 years ago, albeit with less dappling. 

Lastly, here's...this.

Not sure what to say about this one, except...Nokota does not look good with a haircut. He's described as a, "Black Sabino Criollo with a factory custom roached mane." Cool, I guess, but why does he still have his forelock and the bit of mane at his withers? I mean, other than the fact that the withers mane is molded on. Why would they pick a model so completely defined by his wild hair and then Dremel half of it off? He looks like a plucked goose. Well, partially plucked. Maybe he'd seem less unbalanced if they'd done something about his tail as well? Either way, I'm not a huge fan of this one. 

Lastly, new merch for this year's Breyerfest is in stock! Check it out here.

Well, I hope we get some more exciting auction reveals tomorrow! If not, I hope everyone has a good 4th of July weekend. We're all quarantining with covid, so it looks like it's going to be a low-key weekend for us. Oh well - I'd rather it happen now than two weeks from now when we're about to leave for Kentucky! 

Breyerfest Program, Auction Lots and Raffle Models, Oh My!

 I've used that joke for a headline before, but I don't care. It was definitely an "Oh, my!" type of day, Breyer-wise. I'll start with the biggest news: the program is finally available! Sadly, we didn't get an epic every-auction-lot-ever accidental reveal like we did that one year (2014, I think), but it did have all that important information about Breyerfest we've been waiting for, plus...the reveal of this year's raffle models! Check them out: 

Lederhosen, on Troubadour, and Dirndl on the new Zafirah mold! I'll hold back any gripes about them using Premier Club models as raffle models the same year they debut (grumble) since it doesn't seem to change much. Though it was refreshing to have that not happen for at least the last two years. They're both beautiful! It does look like they've raised prices on the raffle tickets for some reason - maybe they're hoping slightly fewer will sell, since those raffle drums get pretty full. But it's exciting to finally see the raffle models! Good that they've been revealed earlier than last year's - that wait felt like it took wayyyyy too long. But anyway. We got three more auction models today as well! 

Be still, my heart. This is a "sun-faded bay pinto with somatic mutation" Icelandic. What a stunner! I bet he'll go pretty high. 

Ooh, a Missouri Fox Trotter as a "chalky shaded dun with two-tone green ribbons." You know, if you squint a little, he kinda-sorta looks like a big version of the Stablemate MFT that was in the 70th Anniversary blind bags (yes, I know that one was gray). 

And lastly, a "sunbleached bay frame overo mare and baby buckskin foal." Sheesh, these models must be spending a lot of time in the sun! Har har har, I'm so funny. Interestingly, while I'm still not a fan of the mare...if they came out with a release of that foal just by himself, or with another foal? I might actually buy it. I didn't want the Firefly and Hawkeye set purely because the mare just doesn't do anything for me, but the foal is another story. Kinda the opposite of Rhian and Cadell for me, really. Well, maybe at Breyerfest I'll find someone selling a Hawkeye I can inspect up close, eh? 

That's all I have for today - but maybe my Breyerfest tickets will come tomorrow! I hope so! Hurry up, mail! 

Hark! A new sneak peek approaches!

 Greetings, readers! It’s been a little while since the last one, but we have a new sneak peek on the Breyerfest blog! Check it out!

Fortunately, we don’t have to do much sleuthing to figure out what it is - it’s clearly a Silver, in what looks like silver bay to boot (one of the few colors he hasn’t been released in yet). What could it be? Probably a live show prize, though I suppose it could be a raffle model as well. At least we don’t have to wait too long to find out what it is - it’ll be revealed on Monday! 

Bamboozled

 Huh. I was really hoping Friday's sneak peek would be on the mini Georg, since they said it was a tricky one. Oh well! Check out the latest Breyerfest reveal:

Well, hello! 

I had thought we were done with Trad-size reveals, but clearly not! What a handsome guy. This also does away with the rampant speculation that Georg is the surprise model, so that's a nice bonus (still sticking with Brishen here!). I hope they offer this one in gloss, as well. And he's only available for online orders! Guess I know what I'll be doing in line on Friday morning...But anyways. From the blog:

This stunning light chestnut Rhenish Draft will be included as one of this year’s BreyerFest Limited Edition models, but will only be available for purchase online. He will not be available in person at the event, but will be available for all ticket holders to purchase on BreyerHorses.com during BreyerFest weekend and will be shipped to all buyers, whether you’re joining us in-person or online. 

Though not a portrait horse, this handsome Rhenish German Draft is inspired by the beautiful horses at the North Rhine-Westphalia State Stud in Warendorf, Germany. You can learn more about the work of the State Stud and these beautiful horses here. 

I wish his color was a little bit darker and less mealy - he looks more like a Belgian here than anything else. The horses in this photo are a nice example (bonus: the prancing one looks like a Classic Shire B!). But Breyer's promo photos are notoriously bad, so we'll have to wait and see what he looks like in person. I'm excited for more reveals - show us the Stablemate set already! Inquiring minds want to know! 

It's a Gloss Extravaganza!

 Sheesh, with all the glossy models I've been getting lately, you'd think I was a Team Glossy person! Well...no further comment there. But my glossy Limited Editions from Breyerfest 2021 are finally here, plus I was able to trade my glossy CCA Smarty for a glossy Moody Andalusian, so adding that to my glossy Astrid and the SMC foals makes for a shiny party! Behold: 

I wish the Andalusian had been chalky, but at least I got one. They all look so good! 

I think the glossy Rheverence is my favorite of the bunch, though. He already looked good in that buckskin color, so adding a coat of gloss on top made him stunning! I like the way his mane is masked, too, even if it doesn't exactly match the actual sculpted mane. He's a beauty! 

Josie's paint job was already luscious in matte, and in glossy she just pops. This isn't even the greatest picture - her bay color has so much depth and the gloss just adds to it. 

The only problem with Apollo is that his gloss is hard to see in photos, similar to the amber champagne Hero's Welcome. Mine also has a rather nastily warped left front leg, which is a shame.

While he isn't basecoated, the glossy CCA Andalusian is still a stunning guy! I've always really liked the "young" grays that still have a lot of black in their color, and this guy is no exception. 

Quality-wise, they have some issues with lint/debris in the gloss, but that's just how it goes sometimes. Nothing too terrible other than Apollo's warped leg, so I'm pretty happy with them overall. Now I just have to fit them onto my shelves....

Edit: I forgot to add that we saw our first Breyerfest 2022 Limited Edition (formerly known as a store special) release today! Say hello to Montanara! 

Not a mold I collect, but I'm always glad to be able to save some money. The old Friesian does look good in that color, I must say. More importantly, does this mean we'll get another reveal tomorrow? I hope so! 

2022 Vintage Club and second chance sale drawing!

 Well, the 2022 Vintage Club opened up for general membership...and I'm pretty sure the remaining entries sold out in less than an hour, so I hope those of you out there that wanted to join were able to. I didn't join, as I'm not enough of a vintage fan, but I hope we get some fun releases next year! 

In other news, the selections for the second Breyerfest second-chance sale have gone out. I wasn't drawn for that either, but...I don't really need to buy any more Breyerfest stuff. For those of you that were drawn, good luck tomorrow! 

Breyerfest VIP Second Chance Sale!

 Well, the VIP Second Chance sale is going on now, so if you're a VIP ticketholder, hop on over to the sale page to make your purchase(s)! 

As the previous promo photo indicated, there weren't any Pollock, Uffington or Knossos models available in the SR selection. Seurat has since sold out, but as of now everything else is still available. Some of the swag items have sold out as well. Once you purchase a SR, all the others will disappear if you go back to the sale page. I bought an Ansel in hopes of getting a blue one - I hope that works out, since I probably should have just bought a Seurat - much higher chance of getting a glossy than the blue Ansel. I'm a little irked that I had to pay for shipping on this since this sale is supposed to be making up for the VIP shipping debacle, though. Oh well! The sale goes until Friday, so who knows what (if anything) will sell out by then. I guess we'll see when the remainder gets opened up to All-Access ticket holders! 

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...

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! 

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? 

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! 

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!