June Collector Club newsletter and auction models!

 Greetings, readers! Well, it's been kind of a slow week, but at least we got the Collector Club newsletter for June. If you're a collector club member, check your email for more. This month's feature story details the life and accomplishments of Chief of Fourmile, and the giveaway for this month is a Harley - a descendant of Chief of Fourmile! Cool stuff. There's also this sneak peek: 

Is it a web special? It's supposed to be released in July, but I don't know what it would be. Maybe the fall Classic unicorn? They're not usually released that early, though.

And in other news, we got the last batch of auction models today! Let's start with the Semi-Rearing Mustang:

That color is amazing! I bet he'll sell for a lot. And another glossy one! Our cup runneth over. 

More gloss! Hooray! Nothing I need, but she's definitely pretty.

Now this one is interesting - the mane from the Cleveland Bay, and a tail from Roxy that was apparently modified to look wrapped. Never would have expected to see Bandalero as a polo pony, but it fits him pretty well. Wonder if we'll see this combination again at some point? 

Ooh, this one is my favorite! I think we have our top seller. What a pretty color! I love him. 

And that's it for auction models we get to see in advance! The blog post notes that there are two hidden lots, and two lots that are only available to in-person bidders...so, four hidden lots. Fortunately, we'll find out what they are in less than two weeks! Huzzah! 

So many things to post about, I can’t even keep up!

 More exciting reveals are happening, people! Breyer showed us some more auction models today - behold, this BEAUTIFUL Wixom!

This girl is absolutely amazing! I love her. I’m low-key wishing I hadn’t sold all my Wixoms, because I want her! Here’s an alternate view from Facebook:

What a beauty! I wonder how much she’ll go for. 

Next, we have a beautiful glossy bay Croi:

Finally some gloss! (I can’t remember if any of the previously-shown models were glossy; don’t @ me). She’s pretty too! But not as pretty as that Wixom.

Next, this also-stunning Constantia!

I’m pretty sure that’s Anamar’s paint job. It looks great on Constantia! I think she’s my favorite of the models released so far (that I’d actually want to bid on). 

We’ve already seen the Saturday raffle model earlier today, so I’m going to skip to the Carrick!

He’s pretty, but not really grabbing me like some of the others have. 

That’s it for the auction models! But the June Collector Club newsletter came out today too! There’s a Breyerfest flashback video, a Jump & Drive giveaway, and this sneak peek!

No idea what it is, but the hint said to think about packing to go somewhere, so it must be the next Exotic Destinations web special! Presumably it’ll be revealed at Breyerfest. Only two weeks to go!

Whoa, a new Bird!

 Wow, I'd completely forgotten about that impossible-to-decipher sneak peek in last month's newsletter, but presumably this reveal is it! Meet Sparrow, the next Birds of a Feather release! 

Like the last few web specials, she's a run of 500 and costs $185 plus shipping. She's pretty, but nothing I need, fortunately. I'm not too surprised that she's a web special, since she's also this year's volunteer model, but this is also her third appearance as a web special. I suppose the decision to use her was simply: she's a pony and sparrows are tiny. Though Rhian would be a better candidate. Wait, why am I arguing they should have done something that would make me spend more money? Gah! 

Anyway, she's pretty, but not my cup of tea. Good luck to everyone entering! The entry deadline is May 11 at midnight EST, so don't waste time getting your entries in! 

2023 Volunteer model revealed!

 Exciting news, everyone! With the advent of Breyerwest, Breyer is debuting a new system where all of the volunteers at their events over the course of the year receive a volunteer model, not just Breyerfest volunteers. These are runs of 175, on the same mold, in three different colors. And two of the three colors were handed out to Breyerwest volunteers yesterday! Check them out! 

That's right - Croi! Her name is Chevaliere. She's shown in a beautiful bay and sunfaded black snowcap Appaloosa, with a third color to be revealed later in the year (presumably after Breyerfest). I'm so relieved - I don't collect Croi, so I don't need to worry about getting my hands on these! I'll probably still apply to volunteer, though - hard to turn down a chance for some nice trade fodder. I also saw on Facebook that these were designed by Sommer Prosser - I figured as much, but it was good to see confirmation. I'll bet the third color is beautiful too - it's going to be hard to wait until July to see it! 

That's gonna be a no from me, dawg.

 Merry Christmas, readers! Well, this year's holiday surprise has come and gone, selling out in 15 minutes or less (I was a bit surprised by that) - say hello to Spice Drop! 

 

Though, maybe they should be called the Spice Girls instead? Food for thought. Croi isn't my bag, so I didn't buy any of these, though the blue and silver one isn't too bad. Or the purple and silver. They should have gone with silver for the red and green ones, too. That red and gold is an eye-burning combination - I guess I'm just partial to silver. Anyways, despite being a run of 2025, these girls sold out way faster than I thought they would. Once again, there's going to be a "Coal" variant, with 12 glossy black Spice Drops randomly shipped to lucky buyers. It remains to be seen whether the black Spice Drop is in fact another Croi, or something on a different mold like last year. 

In other news, we also got another Stablemates Club reveal today! 

It's the Charleston! His name is Shelburne. Which means...the Lyric is most likely next year's gambler's choice release for the club. Sigh. I may just join on the one account and try to get the Lyrics secondhand later. He's not that popular of a mold, right? Right? Blargh. 

Anyway, presumably they'll do a reveal of the Lyric gambler's choice next week, so I can use that time to decide whether I want more than one account next year or not. If so, it's going to involve a lot of reselling, and I'm not sure I'm interested in bothering with that anymore. I guess we'll see! 

Dahlia!

 Well, at least some things aren't delayed! Behold - the 2021 Stablemates Club gambler's choice model, Dahlia, is available to purchase! 

Not sure why the image is so tall...but anyways. If you're a SMC member, check your club home page to purchase. Those are the four colors we can expect to receive! I have to admit I'm partial to the blue one. But I'm not a Croi collector, even in Stablemate form, so this one will be heading down the road. I hope everyone gets the color(s) they want! 

2020 sneak peek and more Collector Club Appreciation glossies!

First off, there's a new sneak peek in the December Collector Club newsletter:



Looks like a Croi tail! I wonder what she'll be? Lots of guesses of ponies, but she's being described as a horse, so it's anyone's guess what she is. Hopefully we don't have to wait too long to find out!

In other news, the Collector Club Appreciation consolation prize was announced: they're taking orders until 12/16 (buy $125 worth of stuff, get a free glossy), and anyone who gets an order in and uses the code in that time frame gets a glossy model from a whole new set of glossies! The three announced glossies are Khalid, King and LV Integrity. Of course, with Breyer being Breyer, those aren't the only glossies - but they're not telling us what they are just yet. I'm wondering if it's because they're going to gloss some of the new 2020 releases? That might be interesting.

Unfortunately, these new glossies won't ship until May 2020 for some reason (not sure why we have to wait 6 months for them when it can't be that hard to pull some of what they already have out of the warehouse and gloss those) but it is what it is. Maybe they'll ship earlier than that? I hope so. I did put in another order today (the two throw blankets I didn't have plus a Catch Me got me over the line pretty easily), so I'll be one of the people waiting for another glossy. Hopefully I get one I want - I have a feeling people will have a hard time getting rid of the glossy King, but I could be wrong.

Even more auction models!

More auction models were posted on the blog today - observe Lot 19:



He's described as a Pearly Golden Cremello, but I'm not really into him for some reason. If I had to pick a Totilas auction model, I'd pick the palomino from 2014, which I was heartbroken to learn wasn't the volunteer model that year.

Next, Lot 20:



Hmm, we hadn't seen these anywhere yet. They're cute enough, although none of those molds have ever really caught my fancy. Rare Sea Stars are few and far between, though, and Misty does have her fans out there, so I'm betting this set will go pretty high.

Next, Lot 21:

Wow, I bet this guy will go pretty high too. Although I can't help but think he would have been a showstopper in gloss.

And lastly, Lot 21:



My weakness for rainbows strikes again! I love this one, even though I'm not really into Croi models. Rainbow can make pretty much anything look good, I guess. Though it doesn't hurt that she's glossy and has that gold mapping to boot (though I'd rather see silver mapping, personally). I'm betting this one will go high as well, since I'm not the only one with a weakness for rainbows, judging by Prism's popularity.

That's all I've got for today, and I think all of the auction models have been revealed in one way or another by now. I can't believe Breyerfest is only a little over a week away, and I haven't even started packing yet!

THE PROGRAM IS OUT! AHHHHH!

Holy crap, I am SO excited right now! The Breyerfest program is available to view, and I just got the most incredible surprise when I looked through it! They're making a 10-piece Stablemate set of all the Celebration Horses since 2010, to continue on from the 2009 set! I can't believe they're actually doing it! They'll be in the Hero's Salute Shop!

So, I'm pretty sure Breyer's intention was to have this song going through my head while I stared at these models in the program (language warning).



So, let's take a closer look at the photo. Here they are:

1. Pecos (2011) on the Mirado mold
2. Brass Hat (2018) on the new Walking Thoroughbred/Greyson mold
3. Oliver on the G4 Driving Horse mold
4. Simba (2015) on...I can't tell what mold that is
5. Gooitzen fan Teakesyl (2014) on...I think Django? I wonder if he's glossy.
6. Imperador das Aguas (2016) on the G2 Paso Fino mold
7. Smart and Shiney (2013) on the G4 Reiner mold
8. Nazruddin (2017) on the Darley (!) mold
9. All Glory (2010) on the G2 Morgan, I think?
10. Mariah's Boon (2012) on the Tushar mold

I am completely blown away - I don't think I've ever been this excited about a Breyerfest release in my life! Kill me now...or at least let me be first in line to buy one on Friday! Fortunately, it looks like they're making 2000 sets, so I don't have to be desperately clawing my way to the front of the line to get one. Not that I would, or anything...

Ack! Now I'm more excited for Breyerfest than I was before! Friday the 12th can't come soon enough!

There are also several never-before-seen auction models in the program! Behold - there's a rainbow Croi with gold mapping!

And a red bay PAM!



And a star dapple rose gray braided Bristol!

And a silver dapple bay pinto Lonesome Glory!

And a glossy dapple liver chestnut Show Jumping Warmblood with Croi tail!

And lastly, a pearly cremello Totilas!



Wow, that Bristol is to die for! And the Croi - that knocks her out as the surprise or the volunteer model. I'm not sure I like the Croi tail on the SJW, but his color is really nice. Wait, another liver chestnut? That makes three now. Is liver chestnut going to be the color of choice for Breyer's regular run line next year? Sheesh! Well, anyway, I can't wait to see these models in person IN THREE WEEKS! AAHHH!

Starlet!

The winner of the Who Wore It Best? contest from last year's Breyerfest has finally been revealed - Starlet!



Can I just say I love that banner? The colors are really nice and the Starlet Hollywood sign is really clever. And Croi does kinda have that "diva" thing going on, too.

I'd been wondering when this contest winner was going to be announced - but the color is so similar to Fletcher that I figured the whole thing had been written off and they decided to put it on him instead. They should make a foal to match Fletcher and Starlet so we can have a family!

I'm not a Croi collector, so this girl isn't coming to my house, but she's definitely beautiful! I probably could have voted for her since I thought she looked the best, but figured I should abstain since I wasn't going to buy one.

This also makes me wonder if they're still going to have their usual Collector Club special run for the latter half of the year? That model is usually revealed at Breyerfest. I suppose they probably still will - maybe this is the only year they're going to have three. Or maybe this is a new tradition! Who knows.

Vintage Club Cypress and Kid's Easter Grab Bags!

Greetings, readers! Great news - if you're a Vintage Club member, Cypress is now available to order!

 
Her purchase deadline is April 11, so there's plenty of time to get the money together. I'm not a member of this year's Vintage Club, so I'm not ordering one, but that's okay. Here's hoping they all show up in a timely manner and free of major flaws! I don't think the 2014 Mu Wen Ma had a lot of issues, but I could be wrong. 

In other news, Kid's Easter Grab Bags are also now available for order:

 More than $100 of surprises from Breyer for your favorite horse lover for only $49.95 plus shipping & handling!*

Could be interesting to see what's inside, but I'm not going to take the chance. Good luck to everyone who orders!

Another Breyerfest hint, and Beachcomber is showing up in some stores!

There's already a new Breyerfest hint on the blog! Wow, I didn't think they'd reveal two SRs in the same week. Or maybe they'll make us wait until Monday...who knows.

And just like that we're onto the next, Kaalee! For our next Special Run model the next clue is in the name. Keep checking the Breyer Blog to see the horse unveiled soon!

 Interesting...it could be referring to the Hindu goddess Kali. The most logical conclusion to draw from that could be some type of black mare, or so the discussion is going on Blab. From Wikipedia:

Kālī is the feminine form of kālam ("black, dark coloured"). Kālī also shares the meaning of "time" or "the fullness of time" with the masculine noun "kāla"—and by extension, time as "changing aspect of nature that bring things to life or death." Other names include Kālarātri ("the black night"), and Kālikā ("the black one").

So, a black Yasmin, maybe? Or...a glossy black Yasmin? Ooh, that would be nice. But it would be kind of similar to Sokkar; not sure if Breyer would want to do that. Another enterprising Blabber discovered that "kaalee" is the Hindu word for pepper, but I haven't been able to find a source for that. Perhaps this refers to a (glossy?) dapple gray Yasmin, instead? For what it's worth, I figured it was an alternate spelling of Kali, so I'm going to stick with the black Yasmin theory. Just as long as the model doesn't look like this, I guess?

In other, less exciting news, Beachcomber models are becoming available to the general public, and it looks like they're selling out fast! She certainly seems popular. I'm not buying one, but don't wait too long to get yours, or they might sell out!

2017 Vintage Club SR - Cypress!

Breyer finally announced next year's Vintage Club extra model, Cypress, in an e-mail yesterday! Here she is:


I am incredibly relieved by this release. Despite what I said about the Connemara Mare yesterday, I don't have any desire to buy this one - and more importantly, my fears about the Vintage Club extra being on Othello were clearly misplaced. Now I can go back to worrying about him being used as a Breyerfest Volunteer, glossy prize or other super-limited release!

As I suspected, it looks like Breyer held back on releasing this so they could use it as a last-minute enticement to sell any remaining subscriptions - and it worked. The Vintage Club is now sold out for next year, although you can still get on the wait list to replace anyone who drops out down the line.

Actually, I think Croi looks pretty nice as a Woodgrain, although we'll have to wait and see how well-executed the graining is - from a distance she looks more chestnut than anything else. I'm not really tempted to buy her like I am with Banks Vanilla, though. There's just something about a white (or mostly-whitened gray) horse...

Interesting that the Connemara Mare is getting used so much lately. Since her 2014 release, she's now been a Breyerfest SR, a regular run, two web specials, next year's flagship release, and now Cypress (and a crystal, if those count). I suppose it's easy enough to pull a few hundred models aside if the mold is already in production. Part of me hopes they give her a rest soon, and the other part hopes they keep using her so I don't have to buy her. It's good for my wallet in the long run!

2017 Flagship Horse, Beachcomber!

Next year's flagship model is out, and it's...this girl!



She was unveiled on Chelsea's Model Horses' Facebook page yesterday. She almost looks like a pinto version of the WEG chestnut Esprit. As the 2017 Flagship Horse, she'll be available only through Breyer's flagship dealers.

Her name is Beachcomber (which seems a little silly), and she's intended to be a Chincoteague pony (At least they didn't name her Desertcomber?). I'd have named her Seashells or something.

The release being a Chincoteague pony begs the question: why didn't they make her a portrait of Misty instead? 2017 is the 70th anniversary of the original book's publication; it would be the perfect time. I'd definitely be more interested in buying this if it were a Misty portrait. As it is, I'll probably pass. I'm not really that interested in the Connemara Pony - I have Sugarloaf, but that's it. I've thought off and on about buying a Banks Vanilla, and possibly a Chanel. I don't have the urge to buy every release on her, though, which usually means she'd probably be the first up for sale if I needed money for something else.

I do like the shading on this release, though; we'll have to see how she looks in-hand.