Collector Club Appreciation and 2024 Premier Club!

 Exciting news, readers - there's another Collector Club Appreciation event happening tomorrow! 

Those models are pretty familiar - they're the same one from the CCA event in June. They must still have quite a few of them left over to be doing another event now. Looks like the details are the same: buy $150 worth of stuff, get a free glossy model (randomly selected, of course). Since this is the second go-round of these models, I kinda think it'd be a bigger sell if we could select the one we wanted. Then I might bite so I could select a glossy Adiah HP and be done with it! But gambler's choice is king, I guess. I'm not going to both to participate - only a 1/4 chance of getting the model I want, and if I get stuck with a glossy Sjord I'm really stuck with it, so no thanks. 

In other news, we finally got a dribble of news on the Premier Club front! An email was sent out today announcing the other two sculptors in next year's club: Eva Rossiter and Morgen Kilbourn. That's...not really a big draw for me, since Eva has only done Corbin so far (not a fan of him) and most of Morgen's sculpts don't do anything for me except Brishen. But I guess if you like Corbin and Morgen's other sculpts, next year's club might be right up your alley! I'm still going to hold off on joining until they give us a little more information - like, oh, THE FIRST RELEASE? Something like that. 

Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket...

 Exciting news today, readers! My Collector Appreciation orders came today! Huzzah! My first order consisted of two shirts, the Fireheart throw blanket and an ill-fated Beautiful Breeds Belgian ornament (more on that later). I love me some throw blankets, so the Fireheart one was an acceptable purchase, and I can always use more shirts. But...on with the reveal! Here's the glossy from my first order:

Whoo, glossy chase piece! Though, truth be told, I was hoping to get a glossy Andalusian, because the Smarty Jones models in my collection are probably going to get sold off next year due to lack of shelf space...but getting this glossy chase piece is threatening to make me change my mind. Glossy black pinto...how can I refuse? 

My second order was pretty simple...enough 70th Anniversary blind bags to add up to $150. I was hoping to get a chrome Brishen, and while that didn't happen (out of 31 of those danged things, only two of them were even Brishens to start with), the glossy I got with this order totally made up for that! 

That's right - the glossy palomino Hamilton, my first choice! Joy! 

Oddly, on inspection after removing him from the box, it doesn't look like they glossed his mane or tail for some reason. Just...seems a bit of a strange choice. Are they all like that? I mean, he has the pearly effect on there already, but I never say no to more gloss, so...it just seems odd. 

Also, it appears that these glossy models were made specially for the Collector Club Appreciation event, because they have VINs from this year and the boxes show the 8224 product number rather than having a UPC sticker slapped over the original one like in past years. Interesting...and might explain why the glossies didn't sell out, if they made a ton of them for this. Which means there will probably be leftover CCA glossies in the NPOD at Breyerfest this year. Just one more thing to look for, I guess! 

In other news, my VIP apology pin came today as well:

I haven't yet managed to find a decorator Seven Arts for my herd yet, so it's nice to (kind of) have a smaller one in my possession. Now if my dratted pin board would ever show up...

And in other other news, my Zugspitze came yesterday! Behold the awesomeness! 

What a chonk! 

New silver sparkleponies never disappoint. 

Quality-wise, all of these models are pretty nice - I didn't see anything wrong with any of them. Maybe Breyer's putting a little more effort into their QC? Who knows. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of assuming my Belgian ornament's ribbon ends were tied together when picking it up (you'd expect them to be tied, right?), so he promptly slid off the untied end and fell on the floor, breaking off both his ears and cracking two legs (turns out they're wire-reinforced). So that was a waste of $18. Still steamed about that one. 

Anyway, I'm still waiting on my Chalice (and the last PC release of the year and the mini Fireheart), so I definitely have more things to look forward to, hopefully this month! Let's hope they come out soon! 

Success!

 Well, the Collector Club Appreciation sale (or "sale") is still going on, and as of now the glossy models haven't sold out yet! 

I managed to get a couple of orders in (lots of 70th anniversary blind bags coming my way), so hopefully I'm astronomically lucky and manage to get the Hamilton and the Andy first try! Looks like they must have glossed a lot of models to still have them be available 8 hours later, so be sure and get your orders in if you want to participate! Be very careful when placing your order and make sure you have the 8224 item in your cart and use the THANKS21 code at checkout. Also, some people have gotten hung up and not been able to use the code because they had the Ideal American Quarter Horse and blanket set in their carts - for some reason it's considered a special run and doesn't count toward the promotion. Anyway, good luck, everyone! 

Well, that didn't work out like I'd hoped...

 Somewhat frustrating news today, readers...the Collector Club Appreciation event is indeed making a return! Check out the glossy reward models! 

Ugh, that palomino Hamilton is a must-have in glossy! But I already gambled that the CCA wouldn't happen this year and bought the regular run items I wanted for the year. Too bad I didn't wait a little longer to order those pins....bleh. Maybe I can cobble something together from shirts/blankets/Christmas ornaments. I'm also not terribly pleased that they upped the amount you have to spend to $150, considering we've been in a pandemic for the last two years and have a ton of other Breyer stuff to pay for before the end of the year. But I imagine the secondary prices on that Hamilton will be ridiculous, so I gotta try to get one the relatively easy way. I also wouldn't mind getting that Andalusian. In times past I would have wanted the Smarty, too, but it looks like I may be waving bye-bye to my Smarty Jones conga in the near future....But anyway. The sale goes live at 2pm EST tomorrow, so don't miss out! Hint: you can load up your cart in advance and then enter the code for the glossy reward model once it becomes active tomorrow! 

More exciting reveals!

 Greetings, readers! I have a lot of exciting reveals today, but I'll start with this - most of the 2021 Stablemates Club lineup has been revealed, and the club is now open for signups! 

So those outlines are Mini Croi, Django, the G2 Appaloosa and the G1 Seabiscuit, plus the already-revealed Mini Clydesdale Stallion with a new hairdo. Plus there will be the new mold, but I'm assuming that comes later. Well, it looks like I'll only want two of the releases next year. Crossing my fingers that the Django isn't the gambler's choice! Hopefully they reveal that before the signups close. 

Next on the agenda, the new Black Beauty release can now be ordered, though it's showing up as backordered. Be sure and get your order in if you want one! I am withholding judgement about the movie itself until I actually see it - which is slightly more likely than it was before, since I recently found out Ser Jorah is in it. Mmm...but anyway. 

There's also an early Black Friday sale going on for Collector Club members, but I didn't see anything particularly exciting in it. Maybe they'll add more later? As it is now...meh. 

And lastly, my CCA box is finally here, after taking a short jaunt through Seattle to get here (that's only 1500 miles out of the way, after all). Check out my goodies! 

It's a little depressing that I only had to buy three items to get to $125 in merchandise...but anyway. I got a glossy Catch Me...which is not what I was hoping for. Well, with any luck I can still find someone to trade with, or just sell it. 

That's all I have for today - hopefully we get some more fun reveals next week! 

This year's JAH is out in the wild!

 Attention to Collector Club members: this year's JAH is starting to show up in people's mailboxes. Nothing here yet, but from what I've seen online, they're doing another test model giveaway (find all the hidden images, again), and there's a purple rainbow Mason in the Walmart section. Ooh, I've been wondering when we'd see another Mason! He's been sadly neglected since his debut in 2018. I hope this means he'll get a regular run release next year, too, because he's just too handsome to sit unused.

I'm a little irked today because my Collector Club Appreciation order was supposed to arrive yesterday, but hasn't gotten here yet, and the tracking hasn't been updated since last Friday. What gives, UPS? Important things are at stake here! I want to see which glossy model I got before all the trading is wrapped up and I'm stuck with one I don't want! Hurry it up already! Sheesh. 

Well, hopefully my JAH and my CCA order both show up quickly, or I'm going to be a grouchy collector over the weekend. 

Whoa! Collector Club Appreciation already?

 I guess it's already time for the Collector Club Appreciation event, everyone! I hope this isn't because they're hurting for money due to the pandemic...well, anyway, buy $125 of merch to possibly get a glossy Winx! Isn't she beautiful? 

The other glossy possibilities are Buckeye, Catch Me and...other unnamed models. Great...well, currently I only want the Winx, so let's hope the other models are things I also don't want. It wasn't too hard for me to get to $125, since I hadn't purchased Adiah HP or Peptoboonsmal yet. My only grump is that the collector appreciation code/model don't stack with the collector club discount code. Talk about collector appreciation...bleh. Anyway, make sure you have both the Collector Club Appreciation model/item in your cart AND you add the THANKSCC20 code in order to get the glossy. 

Glossy CC Appreciation model and PC/VC blind bags!

Good news, everyone - my glossy CC Appreciation model from the second round is here! It seems like I've been waiting for an eternity, so I was super excited to open the box. I was making an effort to open the box without looking at the contents, so I ripped through the tape, got the box open, pulled out the packing paper and started feeling at the model box to pull it out, desperately hoping to get a glossy LV Integrity but fully expecting to find a glossy King instead. This box feels really skinny, I thought. Could it be? So I pulled it out and...glossy LV Integrity!



Just what I wanted! I was also hoping for a glossy Khalid, and by the look of things I probably should have been hoping for him instead - it looks like they might be more rare (thus, more difficult to buy) than the Integritys. Oh well - it could have been a King instead!

She's definitely beautiful with a coat of gloss, though! And yes - mine is also a she. My matte Integrity is a gelding, so I guess I get to have both of them! Maybe someday I'll track down a matte mare.

And yes, my entertainment center is getting crowded. I tend to let new models build up there so I can photograph them all as a group before I put them away on the shelves. There are more above these, plus I have to put last year's Premier Club models on the shelves when Altynai gets here. But I digress...

The glossy Integrity seems to be much more metallic than my matte one, not that I'm complaining. With the coat of gloss, she seems like she glows! Just beautiful.



The gloss seems much less haphazardly done than it was on the 2018 glossy CC appreciation models, so that's a bonus, too. And I didn't see any other quality issues, either, aside from typical factory flaws. I can't wait to put her on my shelf!

In other news, Breyer apparently STILL has leftover Premier club models from 2013 and onward, so if you're a current PC member and interested in entering a lottery for those, check your Club account! They've got Vintage Club models too, for current VC members. Not a risk I'd be willing to take, personally (they're all blind bags, and there are probably a ton of Clara and Mae sets in there).

What was that about my wallet?

Greetings, everyone! There have been so many exciting reveals lately, I can barely keep up with them all...but I'll start with today's biggest news - the Seattle Soiree!



It's the latest Collector Event, in the same vein as the Scottsdale Stampede, Chasing the Chesapeake, Sweet Home Chicago, and so on. But this time it's in Seattle! According to the writeup, we'll see Misty Hollow Farms and the Pegasus Training & Rehabilitation Center! Yay, woo, etc. It's happening May 15-17, 2020 - ooh! I don't have to work that weekend! I can't wait to buy tickets!

Oh, wait. The tickets are random draw again...sigh. Well, hopefully my husband or I can get drawn to go - I'd love to spend a weekend in Seattle! No word on what the special runs will be (of course), but the entry period starts Jan. 6, so hopefully they at least tell us the event model then.

Next, let's take a look at Florian, the G2 Warmblood in next year's Stablemates Club:



Ooh, I love him! He's like a mini glossy Enzo. He definitely needs to join my herd.

The naysayers out there are now saying this means the Alborozo is the gambler's choice, but I'm holding on to hope that they've pulled another Highland Pony from last year and the gambler is something they've already shown us...please? Pretty please? I don't want to have to chase down four new Alborozos! Sigh.

And lastly, here's the reveal of the glossies for the second round of Collector Club Appreciation! In the interest of saving space, I'm only going to post the glossy LV Integrity here, because WOW!



That...is...AMAZING! She's definitely at the top of my list, and I hope I get her when they get shipped out. I'd settle for a glossy Khalid, too - whichever one I don't get, I'll have to track down at some point. The other two glossies are King and Kentucky - no thanks. Hopefully I'll be able to trade if I get either of them. But ugh, why do we have to wait until May?

Oh well. Good things come to those who wait, right?

The Collector Club Appreciation Sale returns!

Good news, everyone! The yearly Collector Club Appreciation sale will return tomorrow!



As a reminder, the Collector Club Appreciation sale works like this: purchase $125 of qualifying products (generally only regular run items count toward the promotion) and you'll receive a randomly selected glossy model for free. The above photo is one of the possible glossy models for this year; I'm thinking it's probably Enzo, this year's new Marchador? I won't need him, if so. I already have my cart loaded in preparation, so it's just a matter of waiting until 2pm Eastern tomorrow (1pm, in my time zone) to check out and add the appropriate code to my order (CCTHANKS19). I'll be at work when the promotion starts tomorrow, but hopefully I can get away long enough to get my order in before it sells out!

As for the other four possibilities, I have no idea what they might be...except that a glossy Bisbee popped up on Facebook a few weeks ago, so I'm guessing she'll be one of the possibilities. Honestly, I kinda hope I get another situation like last year, when I didn't want any of the glossies, so I was able to sell mine for a decent profit. I guess we'll see tomorrow! I mean, hopefully...as long as they tell us what the glossies are ahead of time...right?

Also, I'm glad to see the required dollar amount stayed at $125 this year. It had gone up the last few years, so it's nice to see it stay the same this year. Good luck to all the shoppers out there!