Rio selections are out! Also, new sneak peek!

 Attention, Collector Club members! If you entered the drawing to purchase Rio, check your email, and/or your Collector Club account! Notification emails have been sent out if you were drawn! Congrats to all the winners. 

Edit: There's also a new sneak peek on the blog! 

My guess is one of the live show prize models, since there's not much else to reveal other than the raffle models and we haven't seen those until practically the last minute for the last few years. Fortunately we get to find out tomorrow! Woohoo! Whatever this is, it's another elusive black pinto, so it'll probably be something devastatingly unobtainable. 

Just when I thought it was safe to sell off my Marwari models...

 Greetings, readers! It's been a little bit of a news drought around here lately, but the latest Breyer web special was revealed today - behold Mumbai! 

Gah! This guy was teased in last month's Collector Club newsletter, but I wasn't expecting it to be a Marwari! Now I'm kind of wishing I hadn't decided to sell all of mine off. Kalahkaari is the only one I've managed to sell so far, but still! 

Oh well - money is a little tighter than it used to be these days, so any chance to avoid purchasing something is welcomed. Good luck to everyone entering! 

Also, BreyerWest is this weekend (if everyone can struggle through the snow to get to Denver), so theoretically we'll be seeing some great reveals this weekend, including the reveal of the mold and/or colorways for this year's Breyer Ambassador/Volunteer model! I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for that! 

Breyerfest crystal and Reyjkavik!

 Well, we got another Breyerfest reveal again today, readers - I'm really surprised it wasn't another sneak peek! I suppose we'll get two of them tomorrow or Friday and then have to wait all weekend to see what they are. Anyway, here's this year's crystal model! 

It's the Fighting Stallion! I wasn't expecting him to become a crystal, but he fits. Nothing I need, but there are a lot of fighter enthusiasts out there who'll be happy to add a crystal one to their collections! 

In other news, the Reyjkavic drawing happened today! Is it okay if I call him Rey instead? That name is really hard to type quickly. Anyway, none of my accounts were drawn for him...but my husband's was! Woohoo! The Falhofnir conga remains mostly complete - some small comfort after not being drawn for Spokes and Spurs. I can't wait for him to get here! Congrats to all the other winners out there! 

Oh, deer!

 Well, after a bit of a Thanksgiving hiatus, Breyer is back in black (or, well, piebald) with this new web special - behold! 

From the website:

White-tailed deer can be found from Canada to South America. Highly adaptable, they make themselves at home in the forest, meadow, and even the suburbs. Garret is a mature white-tailed buck. He sports unique coloring called piebald, which is similar to pinto markings in horses. His shaded brown coat is accented by white markings, which is a recessive trait not commonly seen in the wild. Piebald white-tails can vary in appearance, with some appearing almost completely white, while others may just have a few patches. Some studies estimate that only 1 in 1,000 deer will be born piebald, making this fellow a rare and beautiful sight!

He's interesting, but nothing I need. I wonder if a matching doe and fawn will come out later? 1,000 seems like a pretty large run size, almost too big - but last year's disco ram seems to have sold well (edit: fewer of those were made than I remember - oh well), so who knows. 

We also have this month's Collector Club newsletter! If you're a club member, check your email inbox for more. There's an article about eco-friendly packing material, a giveaway and of course a new sneak peek:

Something sparkly and red - perhaps part of a shoulder? No idea what mold it is, or what release this could be. They don't do sneak peeks of the Christmas morning release, so it probably isn't that. Maybe it's a surprise special run for Winterfest, to be revealed tomorrow? I hope so! 

Vail revealed! Also Wintergreen!

 Well, we have a reveal for the hint in last month's newsletter - it's Vail, this year's Winter Decorator! Behold: 

As many people thought, it's on Totilas, and it looks like the popular Benasque color is making another comeback! I entered, naturally - my Totilas collection needs the newest release (and I'm still smarting a little over not being drawn for Benasque). Good luck to everyone entering! 

In other news, my Wintergreen has arrived! 

What a cutie! Actually, now that I think about it, it's kind of weird that the "sky" on this model is such a deep green - is the snowy treescape about to be hit by a tornado? Or a nuclear bomb? Maybe I'm overthinking this. 

I don't remember if I noticed the clear swirls in her green area before, but they're a nice touch. 

Like I said before, I like how the tail fades to clear at the end, along with her lower legs. Very nice effect! Her quality is pretty good, too - I didn't see any major flaws. Another worthy addition to the collection! 

Yellowstone selections are out!

Just a quick update today - the selections for Yellowstone have gone out! If you entered for him, check your email and/or your Club Home page and see if you were drawn. Congratulations to the winners! 

Oriole is here!

 Well, there's still no sign of my Adonis (sigh), but at least my Oriole arrived yesterday! Here she is! 

What a beauty! I love her minimal white markings. They don't always have to be so flashy, you know? 

She isn't metallic at all, and definitely has tons of leg barring. 

Here's her trademark boss mare stare. Stay out of her way or get trampled! 

Her eartips (and bottom of her forelock) are kinda weird-looking, and she has a few other tiny issues, but nothing major. 

All in all, another worthy addition to the Forever Saige conga. I wonder if we'll get more Birds of a Feather models next year? Breyer's posts on the subject were kind of ambiguous. As for Adonis, I don't think I'm going to pay for 2-3-day shipping again if I'm going to wait...let me check my notes...5 days and counting for it to arrive. Actually 6 days since the earliest it can arrive now is tomorrow. Let's hope day 6 is the charm? Sheesh. 

The final Limited Edition reveal and Flamingo!

 Good news, everyone - we have our final Breyerfest Limited Edition reveal! Say hello to Buggy! 

He's pretty, but very reminiscent of the blind bag Django from 2018. I feel like they could have been a little more creative with his color here, and the Buggy name honestly makes me think of bugs more than horse-drawn vehicles. Maybe Hansom instead? Then they could have made some sort of "Handsome" joke. Oh, I crack myself up. 

Anyway, Buggy is the online-only Stablemate Limited Edition, and they've said this is the last reveal for this year's Breyerfest. So there isn't going to be a single decorator Stablemate for the in-person store this year, I guess. Maybe the last few haven't been selling very well? Who knows.

Lots of people are wondering why we haven't seen an Old Timer among this year's offerings, and I have to wonder if he'll end up being a raffle model. It's not exactly set in stone that the raffle models be brand-new molds, so it's definitely a possibility. I was going to suggest that he could be the diorama contest prize (he'd be perfect for that, honestly) before I remembered that prize has been replaced with glossy Bravo 54 models - what a letdown. Anyway, let's hope they don't make us wait until July to see the raffle models (again), but I'm not holding my breath. 

In other news, my Flamingo unexpectedly arrived today! Last time I looked at the tracking, the delivery was estimated as happening tomorrow, so I was pleasantly surprised. Behold! 

What a beauty! She could stand to be a bit pinker, honestly, but she's not terrible.

Her dapples are nice and subtle, too. No chicken wire in this house! 

She isn't the worst thing I've ever seen, quality-wise, but has a lot of plastic goobers from a less-than-stellar cleanup job before being painted. A bit disappointing considering her price, but not horrible. 

That's all I have for today - keep in mind that Breyerfest tickets go on sale tomorrow! I'm hoping to snag a VIP ticket and then wait until later to buy the rest of my tickets - don't want to spend that much money all at once. Ciao! 

Kalahari selections are out and Delray is revealed!

 Good news, readers - selections for Kalahari have been sent out, and I was drawn for one! This is the first web special I've been drawn for this year (though I've only entered for two others)! 

Can't wait to see what he looks like in person! And congratulations to all the other winners out there! 

In other news, we also know what the Delray Stablemate for the upcoming Ponies & Palm Trees event looks like! 

Evidently it was revealed to event attendees last week, as I saw a few listed for presale with this image. Sucks that it's a Cantering Warmblood - the prices are still pretty insane even for models included with the tickets, so I doubt I'll be able to add one to my collection anytime soon. Oh well. 

Hard to believe Ponies & Palm Trees is happening this week - I hope we get some fun reveals soon! 

Kalahari is revealed!

 Behold, readers - the latest wild animal web special is here! Say hello to African painted dog Kalahari! 

What a handsome boy! Gotta add him to my collection. Fortunately, my chances of doing that are higher than ever before, since they increased the quantity to 750. Funny, I can remember the days (not that long ago) when collectors turned up their noses at runs of 350 for being too many! How the turntables...or something. I just realized that the first release of this mold was named Kalahkaari - say those two names three times fast! Or try to. Anyway, good luck to everyone entering! 

Flock together, indeed!

 It's official, everyone: the Birds of a Feather web special theme is...still back, and here's the second release of the year: Robin and Nestling! 

They're cute! And piebald robins are things that exist (if rare), so the fact that they're pintos don't really bother me. What does bother me is that these photos look...really artificial? I'm not sure what it is, but they look really weird, like the gloss was added with Photoshop or something. There are 500 of these sets, so...I'm wondering if Breyer is going to have a lot of leftovers of these? They're nothing I need, so no competition there. I guess we'll see if they show up on the website later on, eh? Good luck to everyone entering! 

There was also a Vintage Club blog post today acknowledging the Cooper stamp snafu, so Kingfisher is definitely a future web special. Can't wait to see what he is! Could we be getting our first decorator Bird of a Feather? I hope so! 

Cardinal selections have been made!

 Well, if you entered for the Cardinal web special, check your email! Selections have gone out and soon these chestnut beauties will be winging their way to their new owners. It doesn't look like I was drawn, but I'm not too upset about it because he would have been trade fodder anyway. Congratulations! 

We finally have our new Wild Animal!

 Exciting news, everyone - we finally have our newest Wild Animals model - Baruti! 

Ah, so it was Carrick! Somehow I forgot about him when I was looking at "ribby" molds as possibilities. Looks like this is another one I'll have to buy! That's a rather intricate paint job, so it'll be interesting to see how they pull it off in the production run. 

His price did make a bit of a jump to $195 (gulp), but I can understand why. We have until 11:59pm (EST) on 9/13 to enter, and fortunately we only need to enter once, so no need to come back every day and enter again. Good luck to everyone entering! 

Meadowlark is here!

 Good news, everyone - my Meadowlark is here! Behold the awesomeness! 

She's so shiny and pretty! 

Clearly I haven't had time to shelve earlier arrivals, as Goldfinch is back there looking disgruntled that someone else is stealing the spotlight. Or maybe he's trying to woo the pretty new lady? 

Unfortunately, she leaves a little to be desired in the quality department. Many little flecks of debris in her gloss and it looks like they started wrapping her up before the gloss was dry - she had something like tissue paper stuck to a couple of spots on her left front leg. It might warrant a replacement, but with Breyerfest a week away, it'd probably take a month or longer to get an exchange, if they even have any replacements. Blargh. 

Her tail has a lot of little bits of dust or whatever in the gloss, not that it's very visible in the photo. Well, if you can't see it, does it really matter? I don't show, so ultimately it's not that big of a deal, but still. 

I did get a shipping notice for my Fireheart model - yay! He won't be here until next week - the sooner the better! Woohoo, Breyerfest is only a week away! 

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! 

Meadowlark!

 Hark -a new release! Alert the Internet! Release the hounds! Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead! 

Sommer knocks it out of the park once again! I love her! Palomino, pinto and glossy to boot? And that intense blue eye? I love it! Please let me buy one? 

From the website:

Artist Sommer Prosser drew on the Meadowlark for inspiration when designing this sweet model’s coat. Meadowlarks are perfectly at home in the quiet of grasslands, meadows, and farm fields, where you can hear their whistling song while they forage for seeds. The female Meadowlark’s coat is more muted in color during the non-breeding season, but retains its gorgeous patterning. 

Definitely more of an inspiration for this one, but I like her anyway. She's a run of 375, so a bit of an increase from 350, so maybe the planets will align and I'll get drawn for one? I hope so! Good luck to everyone entering! 

Also, there's been some speculation that Bluegrass Bandit is this year's surprise model, but I wonder if this knocks her out of contention? I'm sticking with my Forever Saige (preferred) or Desatado (more likely) predictions. 

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! 

April Collector Club Newsletter!

 Good news, everyone! The April Collector Club newsletter is out in the wild - if you're a member, check your email! Possibly your junk or promotions mail...but nonetheless. This month's newsletter features an article about the history of Breyer packaging, including touchability boxes, a Bisbee giveaway, and a tantalizing hint! 

When it comes to the box article, the ones that mean the most to me are the boxes from the '80s and '90s - you know the ones, with the clear plastic fronts, yellow cardboard backs and blue Breyer logo in the corner. It reminds me of many trips to Runnings, Country General and other places, where I would automatically gravitate to the wall of Breyer boxes. Oh, how I coveted (but have never owned) the old Deer Family back in the day! Those box ties were just the worst, though - I definitely did a number on more than one model's legs trying to get them out of the box. I definitely don't miss that part of it. 

This month's giveaway is of a Bisbee from 2019! I already have one, so I won't be entering, but good luck to those who do! The entry period closes at midnight May 9. 

And lastly, here's the sneak peek! 

From the hint "if it's not too much of a birden" (I see what you did there), it's clearly the next Birds of a Feather release, but who is it? My first thought was Dundee, but I've seen some credible suggestions that it could be Emerson. I'll want it if it's either of those, though! Let's hope those dapples aren't too nasty. eh? 

Goldfinch selections!

 Good news, everyone - Goldfinch selections are out! It doesn't look like any of our accounts were selected, unfortunately, but I'm sure I can get ahold of one eventually. Congratulations to the winners! 

Also, I forgot to make a post about it earlier, but the Vintage Club welcome letters are out, and the rest of this year's releases were revealed (but not shown): the Foundation Stallion in appaloosa, Brighty as the gambler's choice (in the original decorator colors), glossy bay Terrang on a presentation base, and the optional release is charcoal Marabella and Amber, while the Stablemate is a mini Yellow Mount on the mini SCO. Of those releases, the only one I'm remotely interested would be the charcoal Amber - with any luck I can find someone wanting to split up the set. 

Premier Club welcome letters are out there, but there wasn't much new in those. Guess we'll probably be waiting until Breyerfest to see what the next release is. At least it's springtime now - Breyerfest will be here before we know it! 

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!