Is it that time of year already?

 Huh. Careful what you wish for, I guess? Well, I guess it's time for the Collector Club Appreciation event! Previously held in June and December, it's now been moved up to April. Speculation about Breyer's financial situation aside, it's time to see if you can find $175 worth of merchandise to buy (or just spend $185 for the model like I did)! Buyers will receive one of these four glossy models: 

I only want the glossy Surfer's Riptide, so I'm hoping I get him (I had it shipped to my parents' house to be inspected). I hope everyone gets the model they want!

2025 releases and Breyerfest 2025 Stablemates!

 Good news, everyone! The new releases for 2025 have finally been (officially) revealed! Here's the full catalog. Too many things to list, but here are some highlights! 

That's right, the one that started it all - the Western Horse! He's part of the 75th Anniversary assortment that was hinted at previously. I like the color, and the horses hidden in his pattern are a nice touch. Part of me kinda wants to start collecting the Western Horse, but I just don't have the space. 

Another 75th Anniversary model - the Esprit! I like him, too. But unlike the Western Horse, this one I definitely want to add to the collection. 

And the third 75th Anniversary model - the Lonesome Glory! This one is making me wish I hadn't sold off my Lonesome Glory models - oh well. 

Let's not forget that there are still two more 75th Anniversary models to be revealed. The hobby had narrowed the hints down to be SCO and the Moody ASB - let's hope we don't have to wait too many months for them to be revealed. 

This year's Holiday Horse - on Flash this year! So, another Holiday Horse I don't need to acquire. A penny saved is a penny earned, or something like that. 

Cloud the Wild Stallion is getting an update in honor of his 30th anniversary! That's a pretty color on Desatado. Another mold I shouldn't have sold off. C'est la vie. 

Say hello to Ophelia, this year's flagship model! Huzzah! What a beauty. I have one on order from Triple Mountain, so hopefully she doesn't take too long to get here. 

Here's the Brilliance Gift Set, the only other thing I preordered (I'll get the rest of the things I want when the KHP gets them in stock). This is probably the release I'm most excited for! Not sure why, but it might have something to do with the blue Othello. And the pearly white Fireheart. I hope they come soon! We needs them, precious. 

Honorable mention: the Big Lex model. Now there's a big Big Lex to go with the little one! Too bad I sold off my Emersons. He does make a decent Lexington, though (presumably the, uh, overweight one in the above image is from later in Lexington's stud career). 

Anyway, that's it for the new releases! But that wasn't the only reveal today. We also got to see the single-day Stablemate models for Breyerfest 2025! From now on I'm going to try to remember to refer to them as General Admission Stablemates. 

Look at their cute little bags! I'm trying to figure out what they're made of. Cardstock, probably? And they're tied with little ribbons. I may have to hang on to these. Anyway, I like three of the four! Well, the color on the Indian Pony is nice, but I don't collect that mold. Like many other people, my favorite is the black appaloosa Augustus, but the bay Mirado is probably my second favorite. 

And even more excitingly, we're getting a Special Run reveal tomorrow! Woohoo! I suppose the reveals will be coming fast and furious now that tickets will be going on sale soon. I'm excited to see tomorrow's reveal! 

November Collector Club Newsletter!

 Greetings, readers! I hope everyone was able to buy the Merry & Bright Stablemates they wanted- they certainly took longer than usual to sell out! Presumably that means they made more of them than usual. I ended up ordering four of them because, well, they qualified for free shipping, so why pay for shipping when you can get another model instead? I hope I get the three colors I want - good luck to everyone else too! 

Chadwick, the palomino Emerson, went up for sale this morning and appears to still be available tonight, so they probably made plenty of him as well. He is definitely pretty, just not something I need anymore. 

And lastly...is it a miracle? Somebody check the calendar. The November Collector Club newsletter has been released a whole week early, by Breyer standards! I'm shook. If you're a Collector Club member, check your email to find it. There's an article about Breyer polo ponies, the Ponies & Palm Trees recap (sheesh, Breyer has been all about the ampersands lately), a Snowbird giveaway, and this tantalizing sneak peek:

According to the Internets, this is probably Hamilton - say it ain't so! There go my chances at being drawn. Or maybe not, if they made 750 of them like Kalahari. I hope so, because if it is Hamilton I'm going to want him for the conga! 

Poppy & Ollie, and new releases this week!

 Lots of exciting news to share today! Firstly: the final release of the 2022 Vintage Club, Poppy and Ollie, is now available to order for Vintage Club members. Remember that the free Stablemate for this year, Dandy, is bundled with this set. Woohoo! 

Secondly, this year's second Collector Club release, Chadwick, is finally being released on Wednesday at 12PM EST. Here's a pic to jog your memory! 

He's nothing I need, but that's okay. More for everyone else! 

And lastly, this year's holiday Stablemate blind bags (groan) have been revealed:

They're definitely pretty, and I need three of them! They're limited to two per order, so I'm just going to order three and be done with it. That's the number I'd buy if we were allowed to pick the ones we want. So let's hope I'm lucky again! These will be available TOMORROW at 12PM EST. I expect they'll sell out fast, so if you want them, don't waste any time ordering. And good luck! 

Breyerfest Closeups: Chadwick

 Greetings, readers - it's time for another Breyerfest Closeups post, this time featuring Chadwick, the second Collector Club special run for 2022! Check him out:

He sure is pretty! If I were still an Emerson collector, I'd be all over that. Sadly, the ongoing battle for shelf space left him out in the cold. I like that he's glossy, though- most of the Collector Club special runs are matte, so it's good to see a glossy one every once in a while. His paint job looks nicely shaded, too - though this isn't my favorite shade of palomino (I like them a tad darker), he's definitely a handsome guy. I wonder how long it'll be before he's released? Hopefully prior to December, eh? 

That's all I have for today, but never fear - Breyerfest Closeups will return soon! 

Breyerfest Day 2: Okay, That’s More Like It

 Well, Breyerfest Day 2 is over, and we managed to survive! It was way hotter today than it was yesterday (or at least it seemed that way), despite a cloudy start to the morning. It’s amazing how hot you get when you’re trudging back to the car in the hot sun for the nth time. 

It’s been a pretty expensive day, but fortunately I don’t have any more model tickets to use. I ended up getting all 9 of the Rotating Draft Surprise models I had tickets for, with the following results:

2 matte leopard Appaloosas

1 glossy leopard Appaloosa

2 matte buckskin pintos

1 glossy buckskin pinto

1 glossy gray pinto

1 matte blanket Appaloosa

1 blue pinto decorator

All but one of those have since been sold or traded, which I found pretty impressive. I had them priced fairly low, since I didn’t want to take them home, so hopefully I can unload the last one tomorrow. 

In other news, I attended the live auction for the first time since 2016, I think, and witnessed history being made - the Silver with wings sold for an eye-popping $65,000! The previous record was $22,000 back in 2019, so it was amazing to see the record get broken in such amazing fashion. Aside from that super-high price, I was surprised that most of the models didn’t sell for as much as I thought they would. Inflation and gas prices must have taken their toll, I guess.

I did get a chance to visit the Collector Club tent today and see the new releases there. We’re getting a glossy palomino Emerson as the second CC web special later this year!

Nothing I need, but he sure is pretty!

There’s also a galaxy unicorn coming on the Classic Shire B mold. That one will definitely be a must-have! Not sure when he’s being released. And we finally got to see the Classic gambler’s choice for this year - the Lipizzaner in four colors - dark bay, bay semi- leopard Appaloosa, palomino and chestnut pinto, all glossy. Nothing I need there either, fortunately. Guess I picked a good year to scale back on my purchases! 

That’s all I have for today’s recap - check back tomorrow for Day 3!

Sandman, and a benefit for Ukraine!

 First off, this year's second Vintage Club release, Sandman, is now available for purchase! 

Let's hope they have the right belly stamps this time, eh? Haha. 

In other news, Breyer is auctioning off a brand-new Emerson test to benefit the war effort in Ukraine! 

The auction doesn't seem to be live yet, but it'll be on eBay when it does show up. Gorgeous model to be sure! Almost makes me wish I hadn't decided to sell off my Emersons, but...ah well. I'm sure he'll go for a lot of money - Breyer is donating all of the proceeds PLUS a company match to "various aid organizations supporting relief efforts." Sure, it'd be nice if they'd done a larger run that people could buy, but that kind of thing takes months to come to fruition, and Ukraine needs the money now. He sure is pretty, though! I wonder how much he'll sell for.

Crane!

 Exciting news today, readers - the latest web special has been revealed! Behold, Crane:

Ooh, he is a pretty one - and on Emerson, as a lot of people guessed. Dang, I guess that means I've gotta enter for him. Fortunately, we only have to enter once!

I hope his dapples look nice...but anyway. Is it bad that I want to nickname him Ichabod? Although a horse with that name should probably be black...but I digress. 

This guy is a run of 375, so there are slightly more of them than the previous Birds of a Feather releases. He's probably the last of the series, too, unless they do more next year   Oops, counted wrong there. There should be one more in this series this year! Good luck to people entering for him! 

Just don't call it Black Noir...

Good news, everyone! Yesterday's sneak peek has been revealed! Sheesh, I was way off with my guesses.

Say hello to Noir, the Best Customs Contest grand prize! He's a black version of Emerson from the 2018 Premier Club. Let's hope he doesn't have an almond allergy...

He's definitely attractive! I don't have anywhere near the skills or money required to get one of these, though, so I'll have to admire him from afar. So handsome...

Tamu and Chai selections!

 Exciting news - the selections for the Tamu and Chai web special are out! Unfortunately, it doesn't look like we were drawn (again...), but I suppose there's always hope for the wait list. Congratulations to all the winners! 

In other news, my Eclipse arrived at TSC today! Behold! 

 His blue shimmer is definitely intentional - they even call it out on the back of the box! He's beautiful. 

I'm a bit of a sucker for black pinto, I have to admit, and blue is my favorite color, so...we all knew where this was going to go. And this one has so much blue, he's almost a decorator! Ooh, he'd also pair well with Fiona and Rory if they were the same scale. 

I LOVE his head in this color, too! He's like a whole new mold for me. I can't wait to get him onto the shelf next to my other Emersons. Dare I hope they do this blue-black color on another model soon? I love it! 

Quality-wise, he has some small imperfections on his off side, but nothing major. I've seen a lot of complaints about this one, but this guy is mostly pretty nice. I'm just glad I got one! In the interest of full disclosure, I do have another one coming - my first order was cancelled, so I ordered two when they went back up, hoping I'd get at least one of them. Well, more for the sales pile I guess. But I'm definitely happy I was able to pick this guy up today! 

Tractor Supply special runs are available!

 Good news, everyone! This year's Tractor Supply special runs are now on TSC's website! Find them here. And here they are! 

Best of all, TSC is having a Labor Day sale right now, and the new releases are included in the sale! I scored an Eclipse for $27.99, and you can have it shipped to your local store for free! Definitely don't miss out on this if you want these! I love the blue shimmer on Eclipse, so I can't wait to get him in hand! 

Tractor Supply special runs!

 So the photos of the Tractor Supply special runs have escaped into the wild! I don't have any photos I can use yet, but someone who works at a Tractor Supply shared this year's planogram. So, the special runs are as follows: 

Salidago - dunalino Boomerang
Lapwai - bay minimal blanket Appaloosa Marabella
Eclipse - black pinto Emerson
and a white/gray Mighty Muscle/Brabant with a cute little TSC blanket! 

There's also a new Mystery Foal Surprise set with a gray Darley and what looks like a buckskin...pinto? G2 Saddlebred. Exciting stuff! I hope our local stores start getting their stuff set up soon, because I'm most excited about the new Mystery Foal Surprise set. Of the others, the only one I need is the Emerson, so hopefully I can get my hands on him too. Although I'm a little irked that they used the black pinto color scheme on him when Travis happened not that long ago...oh well. 

Wow, where do I start with all these reveals?

There have been a ton of new reveals today - maybe Breyer decided to stop holding back on information since the winter doldrums are now over? Well, anyway, I'm not going to complain - I always love the new reveals! I'll start with Crystalline!

In case you don't recognize her, this is the sneak peek that was in last month's Collector Club Newsletter, and I love her! Breyer has really been on a roll with their decorators lately, and this girl is no exception! They're limited to 4,000 pieces (a bit of an increase from the usual 3,000 or 3,500) so it shouldn't be too hard to get your hands on one eventually if you're so inclined. I reserved mine from Golden Oaks, so I can't wait to see what she looks like!

Next, there's a new spring release - Winx!

So we finally get a reveal of that blurry Winx photo from a while back! I'll have to get my hands on one eventually, but I didn't order one just yet - I can wait until later for this one.

Next, we got a reveal of one of this year's Breyerfest raffle models - say hello to Order of the Thistle!

My reaction: be still, my heart. Ugh - I knew this mold had "raffle horse" written all over it - I should have stuck with him as one of my raffle model predictions. He's basically the same color as Champagne Wishes. Hope I can win one...

Lastly, and most excitingly (or devastatingly...) we have the special runs for the now-canceled Seattle Soiree event! First, here's Puget, the Stablemate included with every ticket:

Whew, nothing I need. Wish I could say that about the rest of it. Well, here goes - I'll start with Bellevue and Nirvana:

They are runs of 104 and 96, respectively - ugh! A braided Idocus! If only he were the loose mane and tail, I wouldn't need him! Since his piece count is so high, maybe it won't be hard to get one later...

Next, here's Pinchot and Storm:



Their piece counts are 60 and 52. Ughhhhh, I'm never going to be able to afford Storm. He sure is pretty though! Pinchot is stunning too - I wonder if he's glossy? At least I don't need that one...

And lastly, here are Duwamish and Olympia!



Their piece counts are 48 and 40. I don't need Olympia, but I love Duwamish! Unfortunately, he'll be about impossible to find for a decent price too, but I can always hope.

So I believe the way it works is that the attendees will send in their preferences for Group A (Bellevue and Nirvana) and Group B (the other four). Then they'll be assigned numbers in their respective color groups, a number will be drawn, and then the line "starts" and their preferences will be selected according to their spot in line. Sounds complicated, but maybe this is how the Breyerfest special runs could be distributed if it comes down to it? I suppose I could live with that...maybe. Anyway, congratulations to the lucky would-be attendees! I know I'd love to have had a shot at these. Maybe next time...

Someone just picked a whole bouquet of oopsie-daisies!

So this showed up on a British Breyer dealer's website today...



Looks like Winx is getting her own Breyer model! But evidently it wasn't supposed to be released, according to a former dealer who posts on Blab. So I'm guessing we'll all get the old cease-and-desist song and dance soon. I'm guessing this is a mid-year release that snuck out early? There's also speculation that she's a UK-only release, which...I hope isn't the case, frankly, because I'm not interested in paying what it would cost to buy one and then have it imported from overseas. I'd most likely just sell all my Emersons instead. For that matter, I'm thinking about solving my not-getting-an-Ambrose problem by selling all my Geronimos as well. The ever-present shelf space limitations and financial concerns are rearing their ugly heads again...

New Arrivals: Champagne Hero's Welcome, Rocket and Rico

I can't believe it's already been a week since we came home from Kentucky! Time goes by way too fast these days. Since we haven't seen the numbers breakdown from Breyerfest, or much of anything else exciting (except the first Glitter Unicorn Club release), here are some cell phone photos of my Breyerfest arrivals. I'll start with the champagne Hero's Welcome, Rocket and Rico!



This guy's color is really nice! I don't know who to credit for it, though, because Sommer Prosser (the usual surprise color designer) has said online that she designed all of the Hero's Welcome colors except the decorator and the champagne. So who did design him? Who knows, but whoever it was made a good choice! Too bad he's got that ugly black mark on his right hip. Hopefully I can get it off with some work.

Next, we have Rocket!

I really like the color on this guy, but I wish his dapples had been better. I ended up with three Rockets in my quest for a pinto one, and all three had really unsubtle dapples. None of them were chalky, either, so I guess I'll have to be satisfied with my normal one. I really liked the pearly pinto, though! Also, for some reason the paint on his back is barely there (I'm guessing it's an attempt at shading), which looks rather odd. But I think I can get over it.

Lastly, let's take a look at Rico!



This guy's paintjob is really nice! I hadn't realized he would have fleabites - I guess I didn't look at the promo photo closely enough. He does have lots of little brown fleabites though, and they look great! I didn't see much of anything wrong with him - or with most of the other models this year, for that matter. It's good to see the quality making a comeback, especially on the Celebration Models. I'm still irritated about how poor-quality the Nazruddins from 2017 were.

That's all I've got for today - tune in later for more New Arrivals!

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. 

Ooooh!

Friday's teaser has been revealed...and it's Emerson after all! Check out Rocket!



Ooh, he's really nice - although I'm a little sad I struck out on the name. Buckskins can look a little greenish, after all - but I suppose Emerson isn't beefy enough to look like the Hulk. Better luck next time, I guess.

So now we're up to 2 of 8 special runs that I want. Theoretically the decorator will be unveiled this week - hopefully that's also something I want, or it's going to be a boring Breyerfest for me. Well, as boring as Breyerfest ever is.

You won't like me when I'm angry

Breyer's just full of surprises this week - they posted another special run clue on the blog! Behold:



The general consensus on the Internets is that this is Emerson, and after taking a quick look at my own Emerson, I agree - the muscling definitely matches up. Interesting color - he looks like some kind of dun or cremello? I suppose we'll have to wait until Monday or later to get the full reveal.

You know, now that I look at it, his color maybe looks a little...greenish? Is this model's name going to turn out to be Bruce, or Banner? Time will tell...

Emerson is here!

Exciting news, everyone - as I mentioned yesterday, my Emerson has arrived! Check him out!



As previous photos of him have suggested, he's a difficult model to photograph for some reason. I'm still not 100% sold on him, but for now he gets to stay in the herd.

He has a nice color, and I know a lot of people were happy to see he's basecoated, but...I'm just not that into basecoats in general. He looks way too white and unnatural...to me, anyway. I have the same problem with my Blue Velvet (although she also has a pearly sheen that makes her look even more unrealistic).

He's not too bad, quality-wise - I would have liked his muzzle to have a little more pinking, and he has some blurred masking here and there.

His mane masking on the left side could have been done better, too.



So, to recap - not a big fan of basecoated white, wish his mane were masked better. But he's a pretty color and I generally like TB molds, so he can stay here. I'll be interested to see what they do with him in the future - I could see them doing (yet another) Black Beauty release on him for Breyerfest next year. Or perhaps he'll be a raffle model? Failing that, maybe he'll get a RR release, since we haven't seen the 2019 new releases yet. Looks like this year's new releases were announced mid-December last year, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see! And bring on the mini-Dundee!

Emerson is now available!

Good news, everyone! 2018's final Premier Club release, Emerson, is ready to order!



Naturally, I hit that buy button as fast as I could. I wasn't terribly excited by his promo photos, but the one in the above photo definitely helps the cause, and I'm sure I'll like him more once he gets here.

Also, yesterday's Zippo test model seems to have disappeared from the website. Somebody must have hit the release button too early, it seems. I'm sure he'll pop back up in a week or two.

This also means that our obligations have been fulfilled to get this year's Premier Club Stablemate, the mini Dundee! Hopefully he ships on time next month so we can get him into our hot little hands that much faster!

Also, Justify is available now as well. Hopefully my husband will get him for me for Christmas, since I already bought Celestine!