Be still, my heart

 Greetings, readers! Well, it happened - the Best Customs Contest prizes were officially revealed today! Behold the grand prize, Lingonberry: 

Troubadour looks amazing in chestnut! Ugh, I want him so bad! 

And here's the runner-up prize, Gravlax:

He's also amazing in chestnut appaloosa! I don't even want to think about how high the silent auction lot for these is going to go. Anyways, that knocks Troubadour out of contention for the surprise model. I'm still thinking Vermeer, though I'm hoping for something I don't want so I don't have to figure out how to fit 10 surprise models into my luggage afterward! 

Noooooooo!

 Well, there's a new sneak peek on the blog...

...and it looks suspiciously like a chestnut Troubadour. In the same shade of chestnut they've been doing for the Best Customs Contest prizes for the last few years. NOOOOOOOO! Another one I won't be able to get...sigh. At least he'll be pretty! Only 64 days until Breyerfest - woohoo! 

Brooks, JAH and 2026 Premier Club!

 Good news, readers! I have a lot of stuff to talk about today, but I'll start with my Brooks! Behold! 

What a beauty. Buckskin pinto is a great color! 

He is not as yellow in person. 

Have I mentioned I love this color? He looks so good! 

He's so pretty! I love him. And he doesn't have any flaws! Good stuff. 

Another exciting development is that my JAH is here! I didn't scan the cover (for anyone that didn't want to be spoiled). I'll keep the contents to myself for now (I've already covered most of the reveals), but we did get this tidbit:

Ooh! A new Show Arabian for the Kid's Club! Yes please! We barely ever get new releases on that mold, so another one makes me happy. 

And lastly, the 2026 Premier Club is now open for signups! Feast your eyes on this photo of Georgina that's (spoilers!) on the back cover of this year's JAH:

Her head doesn't look too small in this photo, so I'm leaning toward keeping her. But I'm not going to join the club until the end of next month, because I feel like it helps encourage Breyer to release more information about the club to entice more people to sign up. I don't think we'll get to see all three releases beforehand like we did last year, but it would be nice! 

They do exist!

 Exciting news, readers! This year's TSC special runs appeared on the website today! Search "Breyer" on TSC's webpage and they'll be at the bottom of the last page (try not to pass out when you see them!). I was starting to get worried that we'd all been pranked or something. Anyway, the two special runs we were expecting (Brooks, on the Troubadour mold and Colby, on San Domingo) are included, as well as two more we didn't know about! Say hello to Martina: 

A new Forever Saige! Be still, my heart! 

We also get a new Firefly, called Emery:

She looks black in that little picture, but she's actually blue, in a nod to the blue FFA jackets. 

Here's Colby again:

Nice color, but nothing I need. 

And lastly, here's Brooks again:

I definitely want Brooks and Martina, so I guess I'll be checking the local TSC stores a while longer. I wonder if we'll get more later? Seems odd not to have some new Stablemate sets, too. Maybe the tariffs killed them or something. 

Also, my second replacement Rowan shipped yesterday, so hopefully the third time's the charm on this one! 

Auction models!

 Exciting news today, everyone! We got to see some auction models in today’s post on the Breyerfest blog - behold! 

It’s a beautiful glossy bay Morgan! Scrumptious.

And a handsome red dun pinto Criollo with a badger face! 

And a Fell Pony that’s basically a mini version of Heath! I want her.

And a stunning peacock-themed Moody Andalusian! I’m trying to figure out if he’s the same one we’ve seen in the archive room live feed. I feel like that one had a more elaborate tail? Can’t remember for sure. 

Most importantly, here’s a quote from the blog:

ALL bidders, whether bidding in-person or online, will need to register through BidSpirit. When registering, bidders must fill out all required contact information and include a valid photo ID and credit card number. When you register your card, you will get a text or phone call from Stripe confirming you added your card. You must type in the two-step authentication code to continue. Once registered you will be able to preview the lots online before the auction; however, no pre-bids will be accepted. All bidding must be done live during the Live Auction. 

…

Onsite winners will be required to present payment to the Breyer staff onsite immediately after the lot has been announced “SOLD”. If the winner of a lot is online, the credit card associated with the bidder’s profile will be charged immediately after the lot is announced “SOLD” for the full amount of the lot, including sales tax. Split payments will not be allowed, so please plan accordingly when registering your card. If a card is declined and the bidder cannot be reached within the allotted amount of time to provide an alternate card, the transaction will be voided, and the lot will restart and be resold at the end of the auction - the lot will not automatically go to the next highest bidder. If a card declines that bidder will not be able to continue to bid on future lots.

I like these changes! They should make it harder for people to bid models up into the stratosphere and then back out of paying later. There’s some suspicion that this was being done on purpose so the non-paying bidders could ensure their friends got auction models for a much lower price than they could have gone for. Of course, my preference would be for no online bidding at all, but that ship seems to have sailed, so I’m happy with these changes. Now let’s see some more auction models and the raffle models! 

Glossy HD Harkness!

Great news, readers - my glossy HD Harkness has arrived! Many thanks to my sister-in-law, who picked him up in Denver for me. 

What a beauty! 

Harkness looks great in gloss. 

Unfortunately, his quality isn't so great - he's got some scuffs and scratches under the gloss. You'd think they'd inspect these guys a little bit before glossing them? Gloss flaws are one thing, but clearly visible black scuffs are another story altogether. 

It doesn't seem like these glossy Harknesses were very popular - not that the glossy Breyerwest special run has ever been that popular, as far as I know. I wonder if they're going to keep doing them in the future? Probably doesn't help that the original Harkness wasn't that popular either, probably because the promo photos showed a shaded bay but the actual production models were a pretty flat bay color. Maybe next year they'll only gloss 200 instead of 250? Who knows. Looks like a few of them did sell in the $300-$500 range on eBay recently, so maybe I'm totally off base and they were popular after all. 

But since my focus is on collecting, not really showing, I'm not too upset about it. He'll look pretty on the shelf next to my regular Harkness! 

I was right!

 Well, the reveal has been made - 2024's Breyerwest special run is indeed Glossy Harkness! Behold:

If only I could predict other upcoming releases with this accuracy! I'll have to keep practicing, I guess. Still working on having my Denver contact pick one of these up for me. 

In other news, today's release of the holiday Stablemate blind bags was derailed by technical issues, and Breyer didn't announce when they would be released...so your guess is as good as mine whether they'll come available tomorrow or at another time, though they'll probably send out another email in advance. Maybe on Friday? Time will tell, though I think a lot of people are hoping the Premier Club mare and foal are released soon, too. Let's hope they hold off a little longer on that so people can prepare their bank accounts...

Vintage Club and Stablemates blind bags and Breyerwest sneak peeks, oh my!

 Lots of stuff to report today, readers! First and foremost: if you're a Vintage Club member, the 2024 club is now open for current members to join, and we got a new view of Kirk! 

He really is quite pretty - too bad I sold off all my Geronimo models. Lack of shelf space strikes again! 

Next, this year's Stablemates holiday blind bags have been announced! Behold, the Swirls n' Snowflakes collection! 

They're cute! And they really do look like Christmas ornaments - one almost wonders why they didn't go all the way and make them actual ornaments. But I suppose then people would have complained. Fortunately for me, they managed to mostly pick molds I don't collect, so I think I'm going to sit this one out. It shouldn't be too hard to get my hands on the Greyson later on. They'll be available to current Collector Club members around 1pm EST tomorrow, so good luck to everyone buying! 

Lastly, we have a sneak peek for the Breyerwest special run! 

I'm pretty sure this is a glossy HD Harkness, since those didn't sell very well at Breyerfest and the trend has been for Breyer to gloss something leftover for Breyerwest. Which means I'm going to have to find a way to buy one, since I don't plan on traveling to CO for the event. Fortunately, I know someone in Denver, so hopefully I can get my hands on one without having to pay an arm and a leg. I guess we'll have the reveal sometime later this week! 

Jota and Tuxedo!

 Good news, everybody! Not only is Jota (still, as of now) available to purchase, but Tuxedo as well for VC members! 

I'm still working on getting ahold of one, but I hope everyone gets the variation they want! I'm most partial to the star-with-socks one, followed by the solid black, but I'd be happy to get any of them, really. Happy ordering! 

Collector Appreciation orders are here!

 Greetings, readers! Good new - two of my Collector Club Appreciation orders are here! One of them was an order of just the glossy CCA model (just buying it outright) which I was glad to see was successful. So...here are the two glossy CCA models I received! 

That's right - Sjoerd and Morganquest Native Sun! Woohoo, I didn't get doubles! Yet, anyway. I'm still waiting on a third order that's pretty much MIA right now - it's been shipped, but hasn't been updated since the "On the Way" scan from yesterday. That's the only one that had other models I actually wanted - the order I got today was a couple of Trads for resale, two pony pouches and a T-shirt I haven't tried on yet. So let's hope my third order gets here fast! 

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! 

New Arrivals: Get Rowdy, Snowbird and Chablis

 Greetings, loyal readers! Over the last few days, I haven't been able to shake the feeling that I was missing something during these post-Breyerfest doldrums. It seemed like there was something I was supposed to be doing...so I took a look back at old blog posts to see if I could figure out what it was. 

And then I promptly felt like an idiot, because I had totally forgotten I used to do New Arrivals and Breyerfest Closeups posts after Breyerfest every year! The last year I did New Arrivals was in 2020, apparently, and I haven't done Breyerfest Closeups since 2019 for obvious reasons. On a related note, it turns out you forget a lot of stuff you used to do/plan/pack for Breyerfest when you end up not going to Kentucky for 3 years, as our multiple trips to a Lexington Walmart showed us. It doesn't help that my memory has become atrocious since my kids were born. 

Anyway, let's get started with a brand-new New Arrivals post! I'll start with Get Rowdy: 

I normally don't buy RR stuff at Breyerfest, but the prospect of saving on shipping plus instant gratification won out. So I have a Get Rowdy in my collection! His dapples are nicely understated, and there aren't as many of them, so less chance of getting one with chicken-wire dapples. Need I say more? 

Next, here's Snowbird, sans tack:

His color is interesting - he almost looks like a chestnut-going-gray. There are also new promo photos from Breyer depicting a much-lighter Snowbird than the original promo photo showed - I'm not sure which end of the spectrum my guy is from, since he still looks fairly dark to me. Oh well. His costume is pretty, though it did make me wonder if it was in fact removable, because I could not find a way to get it off the horse. Fortunately I did figure out how to get it off eventually, but it was a bit of a tense moment! 

I did snag a Battlefield Angel from the store as well, but ended up selling it to a tired dad who was trying to find one for his daughters to get autographed by the real horse's owners. I'll have to snag another one at some point. 

Lastly, let's take a look at Chablis! 

As usual, I vastly prefer the braided Idocus to his original loose mane (still don't have a braided Brunello, or Nirvana, though). His paint job is nice, too! Kinda interesting that this mold has now been used for portraits of three similarly-marked bay horses. He's just infinitely more attractive to me with the braids than with his original bad toupee-looking hair. Who knows, maybe this mold would have been a better seller from the start if he'd started out with the braids instead of the loose mane/tail. I know it makes me like him a lot more! 

That's it for today - check back soon for more New Arrivals! 

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! 

Breyerfest Program, Auction Lots and Raffle Models, Oh My!

 I've used that joke for a headline before, but I don't care. It was definitely an "Oh, my!" type of day, Breyer-wise. I'll start with the biggest news: the program is finally available! Sadly, we didn't get an epic every-auction-lot-ever accidental reveal like we did that one year (2014, I think), but it did have all that important information about Breyerfest we've been waiting for, plus...the reveal of this year's raffle models! Check them out: 

Lederhosen, on Troubadour, and Dirndl on the new Zafirah mold! I'll hold back any gripes about them using Premier Club models as raffle models the same year they debut (grumble) since it doesn't seem to change much. Though it was refreshing to have that not happen for at least the last two years. They're both beautiful! It does look like they've raised prices on the raffle tickets for some reason - maybe they're hoping slightly fewer will sell, since those raffle drums get pretty full. But it's exciting to finally see the raffle models! Good that they've been revealed earlier than last year's - that wait felt like it took wayyyyy too long. But anyway. We got three more auction models today as well! 

Be still, my heart. This is a "sun-faded bay pinto with somatic mutation" Icelandic. What a stunner! I bet he'll go pretty high. 

Ooh, a Missouri Fox Trotter as a "chalky shaded dun with two-tone green ribbons." You know, if you squint a little, he kinda-sorta looks like a big version of the Stablemate MFT that was in the 70th Anniversary blind bags (yes, I know that one was gray). 

And lastly, a "sunbleached bay frame overo mare and baby buckskin foal." Sheesh, these models must be spending a lot of time in the sun! Har har har, I'm so funny. Interestingly, while I'm still not a fan of the mare...if they came out with a release of that foal just by himself, or with another foal? I might actually buy it. I didn't want the Firefly and Hawkeye set purely because the mare just doesn't do anything for me, but the foal is another story. Kinda the opposite of Rhian and Cadell for me, really. Well, maybe at Breyerfest I'll find someone selling a Hawkeye I can inspect up close, eh? 

That's all I have for today - but maybe my Breyerfest tickets will come tomorrow! I hope so! Hurry up, mail! 

More auction models!

 Exciting news - more auction models were just posted on the blog! Let's take this from the top and start with the Othello! 

Ooh, an Othello! He's pretty much my favorite mold, so my heart sank a little when I saw this one. He reminds me of the auction Dundee from a couple years back. This one will go high, too. 

Ooh, another rainbow with gold mapping! This one looks incredible. I'd personally prefer silver mapping, but to each their own. Another one I'd love to own! 

Ooh, this one has a factory custom roached mane. Does this mean we'll get a RR or SR with roached mane in the future? I hope so. He's a beauty, too! 

I'm a little blah about this one - it's a beautiful color, with a lot of detail, but I feel like it's missing something. Maybe it should have been glossy? Who knows. 

A new zebra! Gasp! And such an electrifying (heh) color, too. It's been quite a while since Breyer used color-shift paint; maybe something new is on the horizon on that front? I hope so. 

And of course, our Saturday raffle, Bonheur. 

A point I forgot to make yesterday is that each new mold pictured here is another one knocked out of contention for the surprise model. I think it's probably safe to say the surprise won't be on the same mold as any of the auction models, since that hasn't happened since 2011 (when one of the rare surprises was in the auction). But I can't help but note that Desatado (and Forever Saige) haven't appeared in the auction yet...so hope is still alive! 

The last special run reveal and more VIP ticket information!

 Hello, readers! Well, first things first - the ninth special run for Breyerfest 2021 has been revealed. Behold! 

His name is Ansel. From the blog:

Ansel Adams was a life-long environmental conservationist who was born in 1902 in San Francisco and spent his youth in the Sierra Club.  He began his photography career in the later 1920s and is widely considered to be one of the greatest photographers the world has ever known.  His famous black and white landscape images evoke incredible emotion and his controls of exposure and film development to balance light and dark are unsurpassed.  He was a champion of the beauty and splendor of the natural world and it is believed that Adams’ photographs helped to preserve the unspoiled landscapes that were the blossoming national park system.

To pay homage to this incredible artist, our Ansel has been done in a stunning blue roan frame overo pinto, reminiscent of Ansel Adams’ evocative photographs. Done on the brand new Morgan (mold #807) sculpted by Kylee Parks, this model was most recently seen as 2020’s Premier Club release, Troubadour.

Mm, I approve! Troubadour looks great in blue roan pinto. I'll definitely need to add this guy to the collection.  What a handsome model. This one is probably my second favorite, after yesterday's Valegro. 

Today's other new development: there's a summary of all the ticket changes for this year, plus they've announced that the VIP tickets will be limited to one per account, and only available by random draw. I'm...conflicted about this, but I suppose it's for the best, since the VIP tickets are "limited," and this way the resellers won't be able to buy them all up before the rest of us can get to them. So, I'll be entering to buy one! The Valegro seems popular enough that I'd love to be able to reserve one ahead of time and not worry about being drawn for one during Breyerfest weekend.  

An embarrassment of riches!

 ...Or maybe just an embarrassment. No? Hmm, probably not. 

Anyway, I got a ton of stuff in the mail today! Not my CCA order, unfortunately, but everything else I've ordered lately is here, unless I'm forgetting something. Let's start with the new Unicorn Magic wood carry barn: 

This was the only photo I took - didn't have time to get individual photos. They sure are cute lined up in their barn, though! I'll probably save the barn itself and the Stablemates I don't want for my kids. Anyway, there's two each of the G2 Andalusian, the G2 Saddlebred and the G3 Standing Stock Horse. Each one is a different color, despite the fact that some of them look the same in the photo. The G2 Saddlebred on the far right is actually an interesting little green blanket Appaloosa, which is kind of fun. I wasn't expecting that, since these paint jobs seem so basic. 

And yes, they're molded from some type of slightly more flexible plastic - their legs started warping inward a little as soon as I took them off the cardboard inserts holding them into the barn. I wouldn't say they're as bendy as a Schleich, but there's definitely more give there than a typical ABS or cellulose acetate model. Still, the colors are fun and I'll still add these to my collection.

I also ordered the Breyer Farms carry barn, but that still shows as backordered, so I'm guessing I'll get that later. Let's move on to Bellatrix and Spica! 

Interestingly, the foal doesn't quite match the mare, as you can see in the photo. I'm not sure if I've seen that happen in any other photos or not. 

People have been saying the dapples on these are pretty subtle, but I don't think mine have any dapples at all. Which is what I'd expect for the foal, but I couldn't see anything on the mare. I'll have to take her out in some better light later.

Quality-wise, they're pretty good, except the mare's horn is unfortunately misaligned, and their silver hooves could have been painted a little more neatly. I really like this pair, especially the contrast of their silver hooves and horn against their dark coats. More of this, please! Spica needs a father! 

Lastly, here's my Troubadour! 

This one is a big boi! I love his coloring, too. 

He definitely didn't get hit with the skinny stick like so many new Breyer molds have. I love him! And he doesn't have a lot of flaws, either.

I've seen a lot of complaints about the masking on his mane, but I think that's about as good as a person could hope for. I'm excited to see what other colors Breyer puts on this guy! I'm sure he'll be a raffle model next year, and probably two or three other things, so we won't have TOO long to wait! In the meantime, I hope Breyer gets this year's PC Stablemates shipped out a little earlier - I want to see my Lyric up close!