New Arrivals: Ties that Bind Blue, Ties that Bind Gold and Palomino Pinto Seize the Day Surprise

 Sheesh, that title is suuuuuuuper long. Oh well. It's that time of year again, friends - now that Breyerfest is over, it's time for New Arrivals! I'll start with the blue To The Ties That Bind Us (why couldn't they just name him Ties that Bind? That's what everyone calls him anyway...): 

This guy was one of the last special run models I unwrapped, oddly enough. I had gotten the gold one on Saturday and only had one other ticket for Ties that Bind, so I was hoping I'd get a silver one. No luck on that front, but at least I didn't get another gold one, huh? I only had two tickets for this guy, so I wasn't going to have any chances to buy more. So it was nice not to have to trade to get the two normal colors.

Next, here's the gold Ties that Bind! 

This gold guy makes a nice complement to the blue one - Breyer colors! Yay! I was surprised to unwrap this one, because I figured I'd get two boring blue ones and then have to trade. So it was really nice to unwrap a gold one instead! 

Next, here's the palomino pinto Seize the Day Surprise! 

The quality on the Breyerfest models seems like it's been kind of a crapshoot, with certain models being more flawed than others. For example, every YOLO I saw had some kind of small flaw (usually more than one), where on the other hand, the palomino Seize the Day Surprises were overall pretty nice. 

That's it for today, but check back tomorrow (hopefully) for more New Arrivals! 

Blue, my favorite color!

Good news, everyone! We got another Breyerfest special run reveal today - behold! 

His name is "To the Ties That Bind Us" which is kind of clunky, considering most people will probably just call him Ties that Bind. Oh well. I shouldn't be surprised that they're using the tiny-horse-silhouettes for a Breyerfest model, but I was. I like him! It's a pretty shade of blue. I saw some speculation that maybe they'll reverse his colors for the inevitable variation, which would be pretty cool. 

The next reveal is on Thursday, and since they've been following the same pattern for all the releases so far, I'm going to guess it's the Limited Edition Stablemate set! Let's hope so! 

The last few auction models have been revealed!

 Happy Friday, everyone! In just one week, it'll be Breyerfest time in Kentucky for the first time in three years! I'm so excited to leave on Tuesday night - just four more days, and only two more work days! Breyer unveiled the online auction platform today, along with the last few auction lots we hadn't seen yet! I thought we'd have to wait until next Friday to see them, but looks like Breyer decided to be merciful for once. Anyway, here they are! You can view them by clicking on the link to BidSpirit's website in the Breyerfest Blog post and then viewing the auction catalog. 

First off, it's a glossy color-shift-paint version of Dani! Very nice. 

Next, a glossy smutty buckskin Hamilton! Oh, he'll go high. Personally, I'd prefer if this one had a little white, but to each their own. 

Next, a beautiful Astrid in red roan pintaloosa, and with a new mane option we haven't seen yet! I wonder if we'll see this mane in the special run line as well? I hope so! 

Next, an amazing pegasus on Silver that's very reminiscent of this auction Esprit from 2014. Is he a test of a test? It's turtles tests all the way down! Ahhhhh! 

And lastly, an In-Between Mare (!) and PAF who clearly takes after her sire! I kid, I kid...but these two would make a great family for that Ukraine benefit piece that was auctioned off a few months ago. 

These reveals also remove True North, Hamilton and Silver from contention as the surprise model. I think I had been saying the Cleveland Bay, since my original guess of Brishen is out, but I think I'm going to go with Goffert. Othello would be the other obvious choice, but he's already been done in just about every color and was a treasure hunt model, so I don't think it'll be him. There's a suspicious lack of draft models in this year's lineup, and Goffert is close enough to make me think it's probably him. 

This year's raffle models are also in the auction, as per usual, so there are photos of them as well. Check out the Zafirah/Dirndl model: 

I just...I want to like her, but I can't get over her front end. It's like her entire shoulder area should be twice as wide (long?), and her front legs are super-skinny. It's too bad, because I like her head and neck, and the hind end isn't so bad (though I'd rather she be standing squarely). It's just the front legs and shoulder area that bother me so much. Oh well. Her color is nice, at least.

I don't think this color is doing Troubadour any favors, honestly. But if I won him, I wouldn't turn him down, I guess. I may be toying with the idea of selling off my Troubadours, though, so we'll see what happens with that.

I'm also wondering why there are only 21 lots, when there were 28 lots in the before times. I thought reducing the number of lots in the live auction was a Covid thing - I guess Covid isn't strictly over just yet, but it still seems odd to have so (comparatively) few auction lots. Spread the money around, as it were. 

Anyway, that's all I have for today. Not sure how much more posting I'll be doing until we arrive in Kentucky, but never fear - if all goes well, I'll be reporting from each day of Breyerfest as it happens, like I usually do! Safe travels, everyone! 

The newest reveal!

 Well, the reveal is here - say hello to Hildebrand!

As most people thought, he’s the Overall Grand prize for this year’s Breyerfest Open Model Horse Show. So, if you’re showing this year…good luck! 

Apparently there’s going to be another sneak peek later this week - presumably the Reserve Grand prize, so I’m excited for that! Let’s hope we get some other fun reveals this week as well, like the Mid-Year releases!

Hark! A new sneak peek approaches!

 Greetings, readers! It’s been a little while since the last one, but we have a new sneak peek on the Breyerfest blog! Check it out!

Fortunately, we don’t have to do much sleuthing to figure out what it is - it’s clearly a Silver, in what looks like silver bay to boot (one of the few colors he hasn’t been released in yet). What could it be? Probably a live show prize, though I suppose it could be a raffle model as well. At least we don’t have to wait too long to find out what it is - it’ll be revealed on Monday! 

Featured Model - 10/30/2021, Skullduggery

 Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured Model, the weekly blog event where I pick a model I don't own but would like to, give some stats on it and provide commentary about it. This week's model is...Skullduggery! 

This spooky guy was item #711001 and a run of 4,000 produced on the Silver mold sculpted by Kathleen Moody. He was Breyer's first Halloween Horse! 

His skull blanket is pretty ingenious, I think, though he kinda makes think of pirates rather than Halloween. I was still in high school when this model was released, and most likely didn't have a dealer in the vicinity that would have had one. Since then the price has always been more than I wanted to pay, so I still don't have one of these guys in my collection. Maybe someday! 

Silver himself is a pretty popular mold and has been done in a lot of different colors, but there are a still a few left - palomino, solid chestnut, realistic red roan, solid dapple gray - so maybe he'll get a new release soon. He's had a LOT of releases over the last 20 years, though (geez, when did that happen?), and he's spent a lot of time on the sidelines over the past few years because of it, so it's anyone's guess when we'll see a new one. Whatever his next release is, I'm sure it'll be something I have to have.

Happy Halloween, everybody! 

Meadowlark selections, Collector Club newsletter, another sneak peek and new arrivals!

 It's a smorgasbord of news today! Maybe we've finally moved past the news dead zone we've been stuck in for the last few weeks? First up, selections for Meadowlark are out, so check your email! I'm happy to say I was drawn to purchase her - huzzah! Only the second web special I've been drawn for this year, so I'm happy! Can't wait to see what she looks like in person! 

Secondly, the June Collector Club newsletter is out as well! Check your email to view that as well. Exciting changes are coming - the "My Collector Story" feature is being replaced by the "Collector Club Showcase," which will feature fan-created content, like short stories, collection photos and the like. Hmm, maybe I'll have to put my creative side to work and write a short story? 

This month's newsletter giveaway is a Checkers model on the Latigo mold. Entries close on July 12, so there's plenty of time to enter for him. 

Thirdly, there's a new sneak peek on the Breyerfest Blog! It says this is the last sneak peek of the season, and my guess is it's a raffle model - which means there must not be a third raffle after all. Oh well! It's glossy, and my (uneducated) guess is that it's a Fireheart. Edit: More astute people than me have concluded that it's a Roxy, and I think it looks like a match. Could she be our stock horse, making Desatado the surprise after all? Fortunately we only have to wait until tomorrow to find out - the release will probably coincide with the release of the Breyerfest program. 

And lastly, I have some new arrivals to unveil! Firstly, here's Livingston! 

What a beauty! He would have arrived sooner, but there was some kind of shipping snafu with my dealer. 

Definitely worth the wait, though - his color is really nice! 

His quality was really nice, too - other than a small box rub, he's pretty much flawless - at least for my purposes. 

I'm also happy to say I was able to trade my Puffin for a Goldfinch! While I liked Puffin, I couldn't turn down the chance to add Goldfinch to my Silver collection. 

He's a beauty too! I love the frosting on his mane and tail, and his color is really nice.

Just a stunning model. Sommer has really been knocking it out of the park with her designs for Breyer.

He does have a hair in the gloss on his off side, which is a bit disappointing, but I'm still happy to have been able to trade for him. 

That's all I have for today, but I'll be anxiously awaiting the program release tomorrow! I wonder if there'll be any surprises in there? Auction models, maybe? I hope so! 

Goldfinch!

 Good news, everyone! Breyer's next web special has been released, and as many smart people on the Internets guessed, it's a Silver! Meet Goldfinch! 

From the website:

The second release in our Birds of a Feather series features the American Goldfinch, a flamboyant little bird dressed in shades of gold, black, and white. Found across the United States and parts of Canada, they are said to be a symbol of optimism because of their sweet songs and cheerful coloring.  While they always have some golden feathering, the male’s plumage is at its brightest during the summer breeding season, while the female sports more muted tones.

He's definitely a beauty! Once again, collectors only have to enter once for this drawing, rather than multiple days in a row. Definitely more convenient that way! Looks like we have to put in our addresses with our entries as well - presumably Breyer is trying to weed out people entering on multiple accounts, which might negatively impact households with multiple collectors at one address. Maybe they're going the Vintage Club route and only allowing two names with the same address to enter? I hope so, or a lot of people could get left out in the cold. Anyway, good luck to everyone entering for him!  

Black Beauty and La Molina & Masella!

 Greetings, readers! Exciting news today - my Black Beauty and La Molina & Masella set are here! I'll start with Black Beauty: 

Isn't he a beauty? I don't have the QVC Black Beauty to compare him to, but the reports I've seen on the Internets indicate that the new release is more of a grayish color than the original. 

I'm still wondering why they reused Silver for this release when True North is right there. I suppose they figured they had to use Silver again since the horse is apparently a mustang in the new movie. 

Quality-wise, he's pretty nice - I didn't see any flaws on him. Another worthy addition to the collection! 

Next, let's take a look at the mare and foal set whose names I'm tired of typing! 

The foal isn't as dark in real life as he is in the photo. Sadly, I don't have a Benasque to compare him to, but they haven't been a complete match in the photos I've seen online. I'm definitely glad to have these two, though! 

I'd forgotten how much I missed Breyer's silver filigrees - we used to get them every year, but the last one we had was 2018's silver filigree variant of Callahan. And she looks good with my other silver filigrees! 

With regards to their quality...well, I didn't see anything wrong with the mare, but the foal apparently was splattered with white paint after he was glossed. I was able to scrape most of it off, but...how did it get there? When would he have been anywhere near white paint after he was pretty much done being painted? Weird. 

But anyways, I'm super stoked that I was drawn for these! Now if I can just find Benasque for a good price...

Vintage Club signups and more new stuff!

 Vintage Club members, if you've been waiting for signups to open for next year, they're now available! No word on any of the other releases for next year yet, but I'm sure they'll show us something...right? Right? Who even knows anymore. But anyway, the deadline to sign up is next week, so don't miss out! 

Speaking of the dribs and drabs of new releases...there's a new Black Beauty coming out: 

Seems kinda random, but okay. I guess there's a new Disney+ version of Black Beauty coming out next month. I never did get my hands on the QVC version of Black Beauty (also on Silver), so I suppose I'll have to pick up this one. Silver does look good in black, but I feel like they could have used a different mold rather than reusing Silver. Oh well. 

In other news, the new carry stables are now available to order. Wait, what's this? Those aren't the Stablemates I remember from the earlier photos...

I feel like at least three of the molds changed here, if not more. Those are super-simplistic paint jobs, too. Let's take a look at the unicorn one...

Those are definitely all different, because they were the generic regular-run blind bag unicorns before. And there's only three molds, repeated twice each. Are the G2 Andalusian and Saddlebred about to become the new G2 Clydesdale? I guess time will tell. Those colors are...interesting, too. The carry stables are both backordered, but I bought them anyway, because I'm curious to see what these will look like in hand. I hope they come in stock soon! Frustratingly, they're only a few cents short of qualifying for the free shipping discount, so I threw in a Christmas present for my daughter. Gotta get that sweet, sweet free shipping (they also qualify for the Collector Club discount!). 

That's all I have for today - maybe tomorrow we'll get the holiday mare and foal set, eh? 

Featured Model - 8/24/2019, Estrela do Carnaval

Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured Model, the weekly blog event where I pick a model from my collection, give some stats on it and provide commentary about it! This week's model is...Estrela do Carnaval!



This was a rare mare release on the Silver mold sculpted by Kathleen Moody. She's item #711236 and was a run of 725 as a special run at Breyerfest 2016.

This model was definitely a controversial one when she was first released! For all I know, she's still controversial. The mud-brown body color, combined with the samba dancer on the belly, didn't make for a good combination, at least in some hobbyists' eyes. While I do like her, or I wouldn't have her in my collection, I probably wouldn't have done her the same way. I would have at least made her glossy, to try to keep all those decals from peeling off, and I'd have picked some color other than brown for the body. Imagine if it had been a nice deep blue, or green? And glossy? She'd have gone from pariah to runaway success.

Not that she wasn't a success anyway. With that low run number, she was definitely the hot item that year, much like Banner this year and By a Nose last year. But I digress. The size of that samba dancer decal on the belly may end up being a problem down the line if they eventually start peeling, so I hope that doesn't happen. But a nice coat of gloss would have been a good idea.

As always, Silver remains a popular model, but I suspect Breyer will give him a rest for a while. He's been used for just about everything since they brought him back from semi-retirement - but maybe I'm wrong and Breyer will surprise me with something! I hope so.

Featured Model - 8/3/2019, Ahote

Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured Model, the weekly blog event where I pick a model from my collection, give some stats on it and provide commentary about it. This week's model is...Ahote!



This guy was a special run for Breyerfest 2002. He's item #710202 and was a run of 1200 on the Silver mold sculpted by Kathleen Moody.

The theme for Breyerfest 2002 was Spirit of the West, so this Silver made a good addition to the lineup. Black tobiano with a medicine hat is always a striking color, and it's even more so on Silver! The mold was pretty popular back then, so I'm sure he sold out quickly - even though 1200 is still a fairly large run size. Of course, the mold still is pretty popular - see the $10,000 auction model at Breyerfest for proof! He'd have been the talk of the event if he hadn't been overshadowed by the $22,000 Alborozo...but I digress. I do think Silver's popularity has faded a little bit of late, but clearly not that much.

Where will we see Silver next? He's had quite the resurgence since going on hiatus back in 2010 - he's been a web special twice, was used at Breyerfest twice this year (Rico and the auction model), and was the 2017 Limited Edition model, as Liberty. He's already been the Halloween Horse, too. Maybe he'll eventually be the Holiday Horse? I'm kind of surprised he hasn't been used for that already, honestly. Breyer's next Collector Event should be coming up next year - maybe he'll show up there? He's probably more likely to get a web special, if Breyer is okay with him appearing in the Big Cat series and the Wildlife series. Or maybe Breyer will surprise us all and he'll get a regular run release? I'd be okay with that.

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!

Featured Model - 6/1/2019, Matrix

Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured Model, the weekly blog event where I pick a model from my collection, give some stats on it and provide commentary about it. This week's model is...Matrix!



This flashy guy was the second Collector's Choice model for 2008. Item #1332, he was a regular run on the Silver mold sculpted by Kathleen Moody.

First off, I wish the Collector's Choice series was still going! I'd forgotten it ended back in 2011 - I wonder if it just went by the wayside after that because 2012 was the year Breyer introduced all the clubs. Either that or they ran out of collector ideas, but I kinda doubt that. Or maybe they were just tired of doing it - who knows.

Secondly, this is one of my favorite colors on Silver - it just looks really nice on him! He's a handsome model and I was super excited to finally add him to my collection last year. The black leopard color has been used to great effect at least once before - the "Winter" freebie model from the 2010 Treasure Hunt. Hopefully we see again sometime!

That said, I wonder what Silver will be used for next - his next release after the long hiatus will be as Rico at this year's Breyerfest, but I wonder if we'll see him as anything else this year? I'd be happy if we did, especially if it was an America the Beautiful release! It's hard to get much more American than a Mustang, after all.

No Hal, but..Rico!

Wow, the reveals are coming fast and furious this week! At least, fast and furious for Breyer... Yesterday we had the Hal store special reveal, and today we have another store special - Rico!



From the blog:

A striking grey Arabian/Andalusian stallion, he’s best known for performing many of the rearing elements seen in the Grand Liberté. Born in 1999, his path connected with Sylvia’s when he was only three. She’d been warned that he was very strong minded and tended to rear, but for Sylvia it was love at first sight. She loaded him in her trailer, and Rico was performing with her and her team of horses in three months! While he may have displayed some wild behavior in his past, today he loves to perform and his kind personality shines when he interacts with kids.

I'm not sure Silver works as an Andalusian, but that doesn't really matter, right? And he matches the picture of the real Rico rearing pretty well, so I'm okay with it. So that makes two store specials I'll have to nab! I wonder if we'll get any more - I don't think Breyer has ever done more than three store specials. Hopefully they release an official photo of Hal so I can post it here!

Featured Model - 8/25/2018, Silver Filigree Silver

Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured Model, the weekly blog event where I pick a model from my collection, give some stats on it and provide commentary about it. This week's model is...the Silver Filigree Silver!



This guy was produced on the wildly popular Silver mold sculpted by Kathleen Moody. He's model #1193.

The silver filigree Silver was produced as part of the 2007 "Where in the World is Pegasus?" treasure hunt. Rather than have the pegasus be the rare chase model (although it was the reward for collecting all the UPCs), Breyer slipped approximately 500 silver filigree and charcoal Silvers into the boxes for the regular run colors. These, predictably, caused a sensation among collectors and also caused a lot of issues for dealers, which is probably why that stunt was never repeated after 2007.

I wasn't a part of the hobby in 2007, so I missed out on all the excitement (and still haven't gotten my hands on the sorrel Appaloosa). Fortunately, I managed to snag this guy for a pretty good price on eBay a few years back, and he's been a proud part of my silver filigree collection ever since.

The Silver mold has experienced a bit of a resurgence in the last couple of years. He was used a lot immediately after his introduction due to his popularity, including being a Breyerfest special run three years in a row, being the Breyerfest live show grand and reserve prize in the same year, the aforementioned Treasure Hunt, a Breyerfest raffle model, and various special run and regular run releases. By 2010, most collectors agreed that the mold needed a break (and evidently so did Breyer), so he went several years without being used much.

Since his long break ended, Silver has appeared as a web special, a Breyerfest special run, a TSC special run, last year's Liberty and Glossy Liberty special run, and probably other things I'm forgetting. Where will he pop up next? I'm hoping to see a new regular run, personally. Or maybe he'll be used at the upcoming Scottsdale Stampede? I'd say he fits that theme pretty well, and he hasn't been used for a collector event that I know of, so I'd say he's overdue for that. I guess we'll find out in November!

Featured Model - 7/28/2018, Pegasus Silver

Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured Model, the weekly blog event where I pick a model from my collection, give some stats on it and provide commentary about it. This week's model is...the Treasure Hunt Pegasus on Silver!



This guy was the prize model for the 2007 Treasure Hunt. It's item #1304 and was produced on the Silver mold (with wings added) sculpted by Kathleen Moody.

2007 was only the second year of the Treasure Hunt, so things were a little bit different. While the pegasus was the prize model the whole time, Breyer snuck a couple of rare variations into the mix. Charcoal and silver filigree models could be found on store shelves, instead of the regular four colors, which predictably sent collectors into a frenzy.

I wasn't part of the hobby in 2007, so I don't have any firsthand experience with this iteration of the Treasure Hunt, but I'm kind of glad I missed it, honestly. There are a lot of tales of frustrated dealers, unsold product, complaints to Breyer from dealers and hobbyists, and then a few more of the pegasus models had to be produced after the end of the year for people who mailed in their redemption forms late. All in all, it sounds like the whole thing was a dumpster fire from start to finish, which probably contributed to the Treasure Hunt's eventual demise.

Anyway, I do really like this model - I love his pearly goodness, and his shading, and his mold does make a good pegasus. My only problem is that his wings are too small, but that's a recurring problem with Breyer's pegasus models. To be fair, a pegasus model with realistically-sized wings would be way too cumbersome to be practical, and this is a fantasy creature we're talking about. But it would be nice if the wings were a little bigger.

Silver has experienced a little bit of a resurgence with Breyer as of late. The mold was so popular after its introduction that Breyer used it for pretty much everything, but after 2010 it was given a bit of a rest. He's started to pop up again more often lately (Chiquita Banana, Santana, Liberty, etc.), so it's only a matter of time until we see him again. Maybe he'll show up at Scottsdale Stampede? That could be interesting!

Liberty is here!

Greetings, readers! My Liberty model showed up in (what felt like) record time, so I thought I'd show some quick photos of him! Behold:


 

I really, really like this model. But my favorite color is blue, so I may be biased.

 

I was a fan of Breyerfest 2013's Twill, but later sold her when I sold off my Lady Phases. It's nice to have one similar to her again!





 

I love the amount of detail on this model. And other than a couple of small scrapes on his left knee, he's pretty much flawless!





Even his eyes are super-detailed! It's a little hard to see, but he definitely has tri-eyes. I approve!  There are quite a few other models I wouldn't mind seeing in this colorway - maybe someday we'll see them. In the meantime, this guy will be a treasured part of my collection!

New for 2017 - Liberty!

Looks like Silver is back, with a vengeance! Check out Liberty, the newest special run from Breyer!



This guy is really similar to the centerpiece fighter from the Lone Star Event and Twill from Breyerfest 2013. I really like him! Definitely going to have to get my hands on him. And I think it's safe to say Silver's long exile is over. Where will we see him next? Dare I ask - at Breyerfest? At any rate, I can't wait until this guy arrives in my mailbox!

Featured Model - 1/7/2017, Silver

Hello and welcome to Featured Model - the weekly blog event where I pick a model from my collection, give some stats on it and provide commentary about it. This week's model is... Silver!

 

This model, as the name should tell you, was the inaugural release of this mold. Item #574, he was sculpted by Kathleen Moody and released in 2001 - a portrait of The Lone Ranger's Silver. His release ran from 2001-2006 - unsurprising, as this mold was very popular from the get-go. Silver was the first release in Breyer's Hollywood Heroes series, and in the early years of the run, he came with a VHS tape (lol) detailing Silver's exploits.

I chose this model mostly because of how well he shows up against a black backdrop. He's so handsome! I was still in high school when Silver was first released, and didn't get around to buying one before graduation. After graduating, I put my horses away to concentrate on college, and by the time I finished college, the Silver mold had been given a temporary retirement because it had been used so much. I count 24 releases between 2001 and 2010 (not counting glossy prizes. Thanks, IDYB!). It probably didn't help that Silver was a Breyerfest SR for 3 years in a row (2001, 2002, 2003).

I returned to the hobby in 2010 after I graduated from college. Silver had just been used as a Breyerfest SR yet again (Star-Studded). But since then, Silver was only used a couple of times until recently - Nottingham, the Breyerfest 2011 Volunteer Model and Zeus, the Greek God web special in 2013.

I couldn't afford to attend Breyerfest 2011, and wouldn't have been brave enough to volunteer if I had, and I wasn't drawn for Zeus. So, I spent 2010-2016 wishing Breyer would use Silver for something, while I'm sure most of the other people in the hobby were glad they were giving the mold a break.

Fortunately, Silver made a resurgence last year; he was used for an unprecedented fifth time as a Breyerfest SR, Estrela do Carnaval (to a mixed reception), as the Tractor Supply SR Santana (also to a mixed reception, due to the resemblance to the TH Silver), and as the fourth Big Cats release, Leandro. For the record, I bought all three and have them proudly displayed with my other Silvers. In addition, I was fortunate enough to greatly expand my Silver collection in the last year, so the few I had before don't look so lonely. Let's hope Silver gets another release in the near future, or dare I suggest: the Surprise model for Breyerfest? (Let's hope not!). Only time will tell.

So, that brings me to the end of today's post. Tune in next week for another thrilling installment of Featured Model! Hi-yo Silver, away!