Muchas Smooches

 Well, we don't get a new Breyerfest reveal today, but we did get this year's Valentine's Day plush! Behold: 

Cute! Nothing I need, but it is a fun design. 

Finally, some news! And the Collector Club newsletter!

 Greetings, readers! Well, I finally have something new to post about - the reveal of Breyer's Halloween releases for this year! It starts with Beowulf, but we've already seen him, so I'm going to move on to the Classic! 

Meet Draftula! I actually like this design, but I don't collect the mold, so I won't be buying him. I need to save my money, anyway. 

We also get more Stablemate blind bags, as is tradition. I only collect the Icelandic, so I'll buy one and leave it at that. I could have sworn we already got a mini version of Goblin, but I guess not. Breyer, give that poor mini Magnolia mold a rest already! 

And lastly, we get this cute little plush! I love her little heart eyes, even if the rest of her is kinda sinister-looking. 

All of this will be available to purchase on Sept. 5, so prepare your wallets! 

We also got this month's Collector Club newsletter! Members, check your email for more information. There’s an Apparition giveaway and an informative article about sun-bleaching yellowed models, and this sneak peek!

The speculation I’ve seen is that this is the next Wild Animal release and could be an orca, or a poison dart frog, but I’m going with poison dart frog myself - unless it’s sitting under something REALLY blue, it looks more blue than white to me. Let’s hope this isn’t another black and blue/yellow and gold dress situation. 

And a note on the article about sunbleaching models - it correctly notes that this method shouldn’t be used on Stablemates because the plastic they’re made from (ABS) actually yellows more in the sun, but also, not every modern Stablemate is made from ABS. Stablemates Club releases are molded from cellulose acetate and thus can be put in the sun, as well as some other releases, like my Willamette. On the other hand, the article also states that the sunbleaching method can be used on Traditionals and Classics, which is generally true - but be careful, because there’s at least one Trad molded from ABS (the WEG autograph model Cleveland Bay), and one or two Classics as well (the 90s Throwback). 

That’s all I have to say about this month’s newsletter. If you’re entering for Apparition, good luck! 

Breyerfest plush reveal!

 Well, the reveal has been made - the sneak peek from earlier this week was indeed a plush! Behold:

Say hello to Percy! Nothing I need, but he's cute nonetheless. I guess they must have figured people wouldn't want to reserve him with a VIP ticket like the rest of the models? I mean, probably not, but you never know. 

Anyway, that means there are only a few more things to be revealed for this year's Breyerfest, unless they dump something new on us. We're just waiting for the live show prizes and the raffle models. Here's some off-the-cuff predictions
 
Live show sectional prizes: glossy Marc of Charm and Full Moon Rising ("NOOOOO!!!" to the first, but it seems inevitable at this point, and "ehh, okay" to the second)
Live show overall reserve grand prize: Desatado
Live show overall grand prize: Smarty Jones
Raffle models: Llywellyn and Vermeer

That's it for today. Have a good weekend, everyone! 

Wallowa, and Spokes and Spurs

 Greetings, readers! Wow, it's been a while since I last posted. Oh well - there just hasn't been much to post about lately. Firstly, my Wallowa has arrived: 

He's glossy! And has decent ears, unlike many of them out there. I'm a bit surprised that I managed to get a glossy one. I suppose not wanting to keep it means I'll get the finish that's more sought-after in the long run...but anyways. Still hoping to sell this one, so I'm not taking him out of his box just yet. 

Also, there's a new plush out! Behold: 

That is...almost eye-burningly colorful. Whew! Guess we won't have any trouble spotting him in a room, huh? Order him here, if you're so inclined. 

Lastly, the Spokes and Spurs collector event is happening this weekend! I hope all the attendees have a great time. It looks like things are getting started now - the special run models for the weekend have been revealed! Check them out. Photo borrowed from Facebook: 

I'm...actually really relieved for this reveal. I was sure there was going to be a micro run Othello in the mix, but instead I'm getting astoundingly lucky - the only model I need here is the Esprit! And with a run number of 96, I might actually be able to get one later on! 

Interesting that they're using poor underappreciated Sea Star with the Misty. I guess Stormy needed a break! The colors are nice on the rest of them, especially the Gem Twist. The Foundation Stallion looks vaguely like last year's Buggy on Django. 

That's all I have for now - let's hope we get some exciting news soon! I'm supposed to be getting my replacement Domingo soon, so hopefully I'll be able to post about him at some point. 

Aww, how cute!

 Just a small update today - there's a new plush set available for purchase! 

They're named Queenie and Beanie and they're so cute! I love the names. Nothing I need to buy, but those names are totes adorbs (did I do that right?). 

In slightly more exciting news, my one April Fool grab bag is supposed to arrive tomorrow! Let's hope it's the one model I wanted and I don't get April Fooled (though it seems likely). 

Finally, an update!

 Well, readers, it looks like we've reached the February doldrums again. Most of the Breyerfest reveals are over (other than the raffle and prize models, presumably), so there hasn't been a whole lot to post about...until today! I'll start with this year's first Vintage Club release, which was revealed today:

His name is Scorpion! What a handsome boy, although nothing I need. There was apparently a bit of a snafu right after he was released - some of the promotional copy was apparently not vetted well enough and called him a dunalino (I think) and said he would come with leg wraps. As far as I can tell, that wording has now been removed from the website. Still, uh, proofreading is a valuable skill, guys! Maybe give it a try sometime? 

Anyway, here's Scorpion's box! 

Wow, the model matches the picture on that box pretty well. 

In other exciting news, there's a new St. Patrick's Day plush! 

He's cute, and kinda reminds me of the plushie from Breyerfest 2020. Nothing I need, fortunately. 

In other, other news, my Heath came today! Woohoo! 

The sun wasn't quite down when I took the pics, but I didn't want to wait any longer to photograph him! He's a beauty. 

Definitely one of the best colors they've done on this mold - I'm excited to see what he looks like next to Saltire and Rainier. 

Of course, the big controversy surrounding this release (other than the release-day delay) has been the honeycomb paper he was wrapped in. For some reason, whoever wrapped these guys at the factory apparently forgot that you have to stretch out the honeycomb paper before you use it, so it'll, you know, protect the model. There's absolutely no protection if you don't use the paper properly - you might as well wrap it in Walmart bags or tissue paper. The technique can't be that hard, as it was used to good effect at last year's Breyerfest (though the glue on those paper bags needed to be stronger). So... what happened? While the Heaths were still packed in a plastic bag before the paper was wrapped around their heads and tails, many of them suffered rubs to the left ear due to the ear poking through the plastic bag and rubbing on the tightly-wrapped paper. When I opened my Heath, his ear had indeed poked through the bag, and while I think the ear does have a small rub, the paint on the edge of that ear is thinner than in other places, which effectively camouflages the rub and makes it hard to see unless you're looking from the right angle. 

So how do we fix this? Clearly whoever's packing the models needs to actually stretch out the honeycomb paper (for economics' sake, if nothing else; you use a lot more of it if you don't stretch it first), but they need to either use thicker bags on the models or wrap the heads less tightly (or go back to bubble wrap, but we're trying to be environmentally conscious, here). This issue has been pretty much all anyone can talk about for the last couple of days, so hopefully Breyer got the message. 

That's all I have for today! Presumably Breyerfest tickets will go up for sale tomorrow, since Breyer said it would be this week and well, it's Thursday and nothing yet. Hey, tomorrow is payday for me, too...but I also need to pay a visit to the KHP gift shop and see if they have the 2024 new releases yet, so I shouldn't get too crazy with the spending! 

Let this Halloween release sssssslither into your hearts!

 More good news, everyone! Today the U-Haul truck was unloaded (with some casualties, including a Christmas tree with almost an entire bottle of bleach spilled on it), and unpacking has begun! I'm a bit scared to unpack my horses, what with the casualties we've already had - but at the same time I'm excited to get to it, because I want to add my Breyerfest purchases to the herd! Anyway, I've also found the time to get my computer set up, so I should be able to get back to posting with my usual frequency. Also, I'm now in the Eastern time zone! Woohoo! 

Anyway, Breyer's Halloween store was announced today, including this beauty! 

From the website:

Uncoiling and slipping his way out of the darkness on All Hallows’ Eve is Slither, our 2023 Freedom Series Halloween Horse. Artist Christine Jordan dreamed up a truly unique coat for this reptilian decorator. Slither features markings inspired by the quagga, a now-extinct species of zebra that had stripes only on the front half of their bodies, paired with scales and hidden snakes slithering through his mane and markings. His metallic glossy coat features green-bronze color shift paint that mirrors the sheen of a snake’s scales.

 

Ooh, I really want this one! He looks really cool.  I love how glossy he is. And I really like his white tail! His white areas glow in the dark (naturally) so I'm excited to see what he looks like in the dark! 

Also, we get this:

Cute! I love his little fangs. Too bad he doesn't have a couple of little blood drops around his mouth, too. 

And lastly, the Halloween Stablemates for this year:

So this year we get Mini Nevermore, Mini Poltergeist and Mini Cornelius! Cute! D'oh, another addition to the Django conga! Of course, they're blind bags as per usual, so I'm going to have to think about whether I'll buy more than one. I'd probably just get one, but I have to have that Django and I'm not interested in paying $100 for it later, so...guess we'll have to see how I feel when the sale goes live. Speaking of which, the Halloween store goes live on Wednesday at 1:30 EST, so be ready, everyone! I'm sure the Classic and the Stablemates will both sell out pretty quickly, so be ready with ordering! Looks like last year's Tabitha and Skelly must not have sold out, because those are back this year as well. There's also a cute Spectre pin and Spectre-themed hoodies, so I'll definitely have to pick up that pin. I hope everyone is able to get what they're looking for! 

Finally, something new to reveal!

 Good news, everyone - Breyer's spring releases were revealed today! Only a couple of hours after I broke down and preordered Spectre, this year's Halloween Horse (which we've already seen), this beauty was revealed by Breyer! 

Say hello to Washington! Presumably he's this year's patriotic release, like Patriot, Illumination, etc? I'm...not really seeing anything with this design that actually makes me think of George Washington, but who cares? He's beautiful! I also didn't anticipate Breyer using him again in another blue release so soon after Magpie, but it does make sense that he'd get another release at some point - if the mold is already in production for one thing, might as well run a few hundred (or thousand) extra bodies and do another release later. The same goes for our other reveal for today...

That's right - a rerelease of Carltonlima Emma, presumably in honor of the Queen's passing. But the mold is, or will be, already in production for the Scurry release for this year's Breyerfest, so it makes sense to keep it in production for another Emma run. 

I'm undecided as to whether I want to buy this one since I already have the original one, but it does come with that ribbon, so I'll probably pick one up at some point. 

Lastly, we have a new plushie release - and it's a mare and foal, for the first time! Check them out: 

Nothing I need, but they sure are cute! Pick up a set here. 

That's all I have for today - let's hope we get some more exciting stuff happening tomorrow! The month is almost over and we still haven't seen the next Stablemates Club release, along with Shelby and maybe the next Vintage Club model? Who knows. 

Easter plush and kids' grab bags!

 Hmm, I'm not sure if we were expecting this - but Breyer did a plush for Easter this year! Check out Blossom! 

She's cute! I like the little flowers. Order here here if you're so inclined.

In related news, Breyer is doing Easter kids' grab bags! I'm not a grab bag person myself (aside from the ones at the end of last year - what a dummy), but supposedly the kids' ones are usually good at making actual kids happy. Nothing I need to buy, but maybe someone out there has kids that need birthday presents or something? 

Bolero, and St. Paddy's plush!

 Well, that was an exciting day! Bolero went up for sale at 1PM EST (noon my time). I managed to get my order in promptly despite a busy day at work. Fortunately, he didn't sell out in the first few minutes like many people feared - though he is showing out of stock now at 8:15 EST. I would have been surprised if he didn't sell out, honestly, considering his amazing color and the popularity of the mold. So, I'm excited to see my Bolero! He looks so nice in the photos. 

In other news, there was another debut today - Breyer's first St. Patrick's Day plush! Meet Kelly o' Breyer! 

This is the plush that was teased in the January Collector Club newsletter. I didn't buy one, but he's definitely cute. Kinda makes me think of this, honestly. 

That's all for today - maybe we'll get another new reveal tomorrow! This time of year is always hard to get through because there isn't really all that much going on. So here's hoping! 

What a beauty!

 Well, we did get another Breyerfest reveal today after all! It's a Limited Edition (aka store special) portrait on the Troubadour mold, named HD Harkness! 

From the blog: 

With his famous “look at me” attitude, HD Harkness has picked up multiple wins from countless shows in Michigan, New York, Wisconsin, and Kentucky, and has won the attention and admiration of spectators! To honor these achievements, we’ve immortalized HD Harkness for this summer’s BreyerFest on Kylee Parks’ Troubadour, mold # 807, in an absolutely stunning bay.

This is a stunning model, indeed! Looks pretty similar to the Fireheart coming out later this year for Collector Club members, minus the gloss. Speaking of gloss...this guy would look absolutely smashing in glossy. Let's hope they decide to do preorders for glossy Limited Editions again this year, because I don't think my heart could take it if they decide to gloss this guy for Breyerwest next year. Perish the thought! Anyway, I can't wait to see this one in person! 

In other, less-Breyerfesty news, this year's Valentine's Day plush debuted today! Check her out! 

Cute, but nothing I need. She doesn't appear to be sold out yet, so there's still time to buy, if you're into that sort of thing! 

Anyway, there's going to be another reveal (hopefully not a sneak peek this time) on the blog tomorrow - I'm excited to see what it is! See you tomorrow! 

Collector Club Appreciation, Auction Models and more!

 Exciting news, everyone! My Collector Club Appreciation orders are here! Behold! 

Though I didn't get a photo of it, in my first order I bought four styling heads for gifts, the pin board and the new Unicorn Crazy (or whatever it's called) stable. And when I opened the (huge) box, the second thing I saw was a really skinny Breyer box, upside down. I could see the label read "KB Omega Fahim" and got really excited and pulled him out glossy! 

I love this shade of blue-black and wish Breyer would use it more often. He's stunning! I'll have to compare him to my matte Omega Fahim and see if there's any difference between them. 

I guess there is a risk of them looking more like decorators if there's too much blue...but then, blue is my favorite color, so I'm not going to nitpick that too much. Haha! 

For my second order, I went ahead and just bought the glossy model outright, as I don't have any more space for extra stuff I don't want or need. And look who I got! 

I had been hoping to get the glossy Theo, though, so it looks like I'll be looking for a trade. Ideally with someone at the Clarion when we're there in 3 weeks. Speaking of the Clarion, we got some more Breyerfest auction models today! Check them out: 

As someone on Blab noted, this Fighter would make a perfect dad for Robin and Nestling. Aww, a family! 

An amazing star-dappled gray on my least-favorite Latigo mane/tail combination. He's pretty, though!

And lastly:

A really, really nice Valegro, but I can't help but think he would have been completely amazing in gloss! 

And lastly, Breyer introduced Sparkler, a 4th of July plush, today! 

He's already sold out, so if you wanted one, I hope you were able to get one. I'm not a plush collector, so I didn't partake, but he's a cute design! 

That's all I have for today - I hope we get more auction models tomorrow! And, uh, a Breyerfest program, since it's now the 20th? Is that too much to ask for? You know, because people want to plan out their activities and it's kind of hard to do that without the program. 

Contest information, finally!

 Good news, everyone - Breyerfest contest information has finally been released! Not before time...but anyways. Check out the contest info here. Some befuddling stuff there - the diorama prize model is apparently a thing of the past, and has been replaced with glossy Celebration Horses instead. Also, photos of the dioramas have to be submitted ahead of time, but then they still have to be at Breyerfest in person to win? Uh, except for the residents of certain US states who aren't even allowed to enter. A little confused there. It's enough to make me want to wash my hands of the contests completely, and I don't even compete in them - I can't imagine how the diorama builders out there feel. My sympathies.

Let's see, what else was there? The costume contest is entirely online this year - the prizes for that remain glossy Celebration Horses like normal. We don't know what the prizes for the Best Custom Contest are yet, but their names are Brandenberg and Westphalia. Quick prediction - Brandenberg is a black version of Troubadour (NOOOOO!!!!!) and Westphalia is a black mini Fireheart (also NOOOOOO!!!). We'll see if I'm right! I almost went with a black Hamilton, but I think Troubadour would more easily pass for something German-inspired, and Hamilton has already been done in glossy gray/black, so people would probably complain if it was him. 

In other news, Breyer has a new plush - P'Eggy! 

What a cutie! Uh, I guess they're already out of stock (they went up yesterday), so I hope you all got yours, if you wanted one. I didn't buy one, so no competition there. 

Also, one last tidbit - people's Vintage Club Cooper models have been showing up with the wrong belly stamp. They have a Kingfisher stamp, with a little bird - which seems to be an accidental reveal of an upcoming web special, as well as a rather huge oops for Breyer. I guess it'll make him more memorable that way! So I wonder if that sneak peek from last month was, in fact, Kingfisher? I guess we'll find out...someday. 

The Valentine's Plush is revealed!

As I suspected, this year's Valentine's plush is a donkey - behold! 

 

What a cutie! They can be ordered now, but won't ship right away as they seem to still be stuck at the port, according to the email. Seems like Breyer usually ends up doing a sale where you can get the plush for free when ordering a certain amount of merchandise, though, so maybe hold off a bit and see if they do that again this year? I would, if I were a plushie collector. 

January 2022 Collector Club Newsletter and more sneak peeks!

 Wow, they got the Collector Club newsletter out relatively early this month! How novel. Check your email for a fun story about the cream gene in horses, a giveaway of a glossy dunalino QHG (one of the mysterious new releases that showed up on the website last week), and a fun sneak peek:

Not much of a mystery here - the blurb says it'll be available in early February, so it's clearly a Valentine's Day plush - and there are at least two of them this year! I wonder if the one in the sneak peek is a donkey? That could be cute. 

In other news, there's a new sneak peek on the Breyerfest Blog as well. I was hoping for a full reveal instead, but clearly that hope was misplaced. Here it is:

Our eagle-eyed Internet sleuths have identified this as Georg, but since we've presumably already seen all the Traditional-size items people will be able to order with VIP tickets, it's a mystery as to what this could be. The photo seems to be slightly grainy, as it might look if it were zoomed in quite a bit, so my guess is that this is the Stablemate version of Georg and he's in the Best of Breyerfest set for 2022. Which model he'd be a mini of is a bit of a mystery - his color looks like Muse, but they've already done models from 2011. Maybe Walk Down Memory Lane, but the sneak peek isn't glossy. Yes, the mini Georg is the PC Stablemate for this year, but there's no rule saying it can't appear somewhere else as well, and I don't think they'd start revealing prize or raffle models before they finished showing off Limited Edition stuff. 

I guess we'll have all weekend to think about it, since the reveal is coming on Monday! Ah, the anticipation is killing me...But since I'm working overnights all weekend, maybe I'll get a repeat of last weekend and forget about the whole thing entirely. 

The Halloween Collection is revealed!

 Good news, everyone! Breyer's Halloween Collection for this year is now on the website! There doesn't seem to be a page for everything (unless I'm missing something) but if you search for Halloween, they'll show up a little ways down the page. Nothing can be ordered yet - it's all Coming Soon - but at least we can look at the items ahead of time!  Firstly, let's take a look at the Classic! 

Edit: Breyer posted on Facebook that the Halloween collection will be available to purchase at 10am EST this Friday, so set your alarms! There'll be a restock of Thriller as well. 

His name is Eek! Rather fitting for that spidery design, eh? I suppose I'll have to add this one to the herd, since I have all the others. 

Next, here's an official photo of the blind bag Stablemates! 

I'll probably just order one, since I only want the Clydesdale, thus I'd only order one of them if they weren't blind bags. Boo, hiss, etc.

Lastly, here's the plush! 

He's definitely a cutie, but I don't do plushies, so he won't be coming to my house. 

Let's hope we don't have to wait too long to order these spooky offerings! Though the way things are going, they may not show up until Halloween anyway...

January Collector Club Newsletter and Valentine's Day plush!

 Exciting news, everyone - the January Collector Club newsletter went out today! And it's even slightly early by Breyer's standards - usually that gets left until the last day of the month, but not this time! Anyway, check your email for more. There's a fun article about old-style dappling techniques, a Duke giveaway, and this tantalizing hint: 

My first thought was Duende, but that can't be right. To me it looks like a jaw/neck, but it could also be a hip, I guess? Not sure who else it could be. Maybe the Cleveland Bay? The hint says there's a new web special theme coming, but that's usually the case every year anyway, so...who knows. I hope we don't have to wait too long to find out! 

Also, this year's Valentine's Day plush has been released - say hello to Wild Love! 

You can get one for free with a $75 purchase, or just buy him outright for $15. I'm not into plushes, but he's definitely cute! 

The 2020 Halloween line is now available!

 More good news, readers! Breyer's 2020 Halloween offerings are now available to order...like this rat-tastic Classic! 

His name is Ratsputin...a bit of a mouthful, but plays on words are always fun, right? Fortunately (or not), I don't collect this mold, so I don't need to buy him. Which is good, because, well...I mean, I don't really have anything against rats per se, and wouldn't mind having one as a pet, really, but...rats? Bleh - it just makes me think of dirt and filth. But to each their own! 

There's also some fun new Stablemates, which is what I'm most excited about, despite the dreaded blind bags:

Those are some pretty ambitious paint jobs, so I won't complain about the $25 price...this time. Let's hope the factory can pull them off! Plus, they qualify for the 10% Collector Club discount (CLUBPLUS20), so order away! I'm hoping to get the Cantering Warmblood and the Friesian, so here's hoping! 

There's also a cute plush:

Aww, I love candy corn! I may be alone in that opinion, but whatevs. If you order $75 worth of merch (any merch, as far as I know), you can enter a code (SUGAR20) to get the plush for free! 

Humorously enough, there's also still leftovers of last year's Halloween Stablemates. You'd think they'd take the hint from the last few rounds of blind bags not selling out (these and the Starry Skies) and QUIT DOING BLIND BAGS AND JUST MAKE IT A SET WE CAN ALL BUY....but I'm trying not to be too negative here. Anyway...happy early Halloween! 

Starlight, and Breyer Easter plush!

Attention to all Vintage Club members: Starlight is now available for purchase!

She comes a bit soon after the previous release - I wonder if Breyer is getting jittery with all the COVID-19 hubbub. Well, either way, she's definitely pretty! While I'm not a Vintage Club member this year, I've tentatively managed to secure one from someone else, so I'm excited to see what she looks like in person!

In other news, Breyer has a new Easter plush available!



She's free with a $75 purchase, or it looks like you can just buy her for $14.99. Use the code LILAC20 at checkout to get her! I don't collect the plushes, but she sure is cute!