2020 Collector Club - Now Open!

As a continuation from yesterday, the 2020 Collector Club memberships are now open for business! Including the Deluxe club membership - and it turns out the special Stablemate is a shrunken Fighting Stallion!



So...is the promo photo an actual Stablemate-sized fighter, or did they just sub in an old glossy palomino Trad? Because they don't usually look exactly the same, and this one does. I guess we'll find out in...an entire year? Sheesh. Fortunately, I don't collect the Fighting Stallion (large or fun-size), so I'm going to sit this one out. Normal collector club membership, here I come!

As an aside...am I the only one that isn't excited about all the molds being turned into Stablemate molds? I mean, it's probably a cheap(er) way to expand the Stablemate line, but why don't they turn some molds into Classics while they're at it? Since we all know they'd like to make the Classics line more popular?

Well, anyway. It could just be my inner collector being crotchety. Get off my lawn, and such. Or maybe I'm just tired of spending money! Perish the thought!

No, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

 I know I'm late to the party with this (I blame weekend travels + lack of time), but a Mini Whinnies series 3 has been appearing at Walmarts across the country...and most of the new models are teeny versions of Trad and Classic molds!

I don't have any photos I can use yet, but the shrunken Traditional molds are Sherman Morgan and Wixom, while the shrunken Classics are Liam, Malik and Mariah. And...one of them is a tiny, tiny Hambletonian! HE DOES EXIST IN PLASTIC! I demand a bigger version of him immediately! Preferably a Classic or Traditional! I KNEW using him as the crystal at Breyerfest last year would lead to more releases on him eventually! Especially since we're finally seeing the Spanish Barb as a Stablemate this year - if we get him in a nonporcelain release, we can get anything! I need more- MORE! Especially since I don't (and won't) collect Mini Whinnies!

No one seems to know what the chase piece for this collection is called, but I'm really hoping it isn't a Tiny Wintersong - because that would just be depressing. But I need a bigger, plastic Hambletonian as soon as possible!

Breyerfest Closeups: Mini True North or: Honey I Shrunk the Breyer

...or as I like to call him, TINY RIIIIIICK BRISHEN!

The first time I saw this model was on a picture someone posted to Blab, and I was super confused by it at first. The sign said it was the Premier Club Stablemate, but it was clearly Brishen? Someone must have messed up somehow...? But why would a full-size model have the same pattern and color as True North? Until I read the caption again and realized it was a tiny Brishen.

 

So Breyer has figured out the technology to shrink a Traditional-size model down to Stablemate size, or presumably any size in between. I am conflicted about this. Trad-size Stablemate models? Classic-size Trad models? Stablemate-size Trad models? How will they do it without the resulting products looking all lumpy and weird like the crystals do? (Although they're getting better at those.) Granted, the mini Brishen here looks pretty good, but I'd have liked to be able to pick him up and take a close look at him.

Anyways, shelf space in my place is limited as it is. I don't have room for a million Stablemate versions of all my favorite Trad models, and vice versa. I'm not one of those people that would have to have every sculpt in every size. I like them to have variety, you know? Not just reproducing the same sculpt in a bunch of different sizes. Part of the allure of the Stablemates and Classics is that they aren't the same as the Traditionals. Call me boring if you want, but I'm just not excited about this development.

That said, I'm not planning on selling my mini True North or anything...but I'm not going to be begging for more shrunk-down Traditionals all the same. At this point I'm hoping it'll just turn out to be one of those Breyer oddities that never goes anywhere. Although I have to admit, if they used this technology on a free model that isn't costing any additional money to the customers, they're most likely going to use it again at some point to recoup their investment in it. I guess we'll have to wait and see!