The 2017 Stablemate Club is now available!

Happy Halloween, everyone! Looks like Breyer decided to make its own Halloween surprise for us - the 2017 Stablemate Club is now open for business!



Next year's first release is a "bay sabino G1 Thoroughbred Mare" in glossy, called Coco. We saw a preview of her at the Chasing the Chesapeake event two weeks ago. Sweet!

"The Club will have six releases, one every other month, and will include a Gambler's Choice (you'll receive one of four colors, randomly selected), a clearware decorator and a brand new sculpture by Maggie Bennett! These detailed new pieces are exclusively available to Stablemates Collector's Club members only, so don't miss out!"
Dang it all, that means I'm going to have to have my husband join the club again for another chance at whatever the gambler's choice is (I hope it's something I want this time). I'll be crossing my fingers that next year's releases include a few more things I want than this year's did, although it wasn't terribly difficult to sell the ones I didn't want.

I wonder if we'll get to see the Maggie Bennett sculpt ahead of time like we did with Django last year? I hope so. The clearware decorator should be exciting, too!

I'd been waiting for this club to open so I could renew my Collector Club membership and join the Premier and Stablemate clubs all at the same time - that's all taken care of now! I'm looking forward to next year's clubs!

Featured Model - 10/29/2016, JCPenney Pinto Susecion

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

This model was issued through JCPenney in 2006 with a matching Huck and Le Fire as the Pinto Half Arabian Family, item #410146. She was done on the popular Susecion mold #580, first introduced with Le Fire (#581) in 2002, both sculpted by Kathleen Moody. There's no indication of how many of these were produced, sadly, but they'll set you back a fair amount if you want to buy them now (trust me!).

I like this mare, despite how derpy her face looks when you look at her straight-on. Hasn't everyone had a look like that on their face at least once in their lives? Possibly shortly after giving birth? And I like her maternal devotion to her wobbly-legged foal. As a bonus, I like the way this model's color is executed - I've always liked a good buckskin (though it does beg the question of what breed this mare is, exactly - buckskin Paint Horse x Arabian?).

Susecion and Le Fire are a set of molds that just haven't been used all that much since their release, and when they are used the releases tend to be small. The original release ran for a respectable three years (in an era when most releases only get two). Then they were used for the 2008 Treasure Hunt; TH releases were technically regular runs, but only for the year. Everything else they've been used for has been limited in some way, including the droolworthy 2012 raffle set, Queen Mum and the Prince.

When I was thinking of names for this set, the only things I could think of were to use names derived from the Bold Impression/Decoupage/Impressionistic Page Connoisseur models. So I named this mare Cut Piece as a reference to the Yoko Ono performance art from the '60s. 

I think it's high time this set was used again - and the holidays are coming up! Let's see them get a release as the mare and foal set they've been doing for the last couple of years, with matching blankets. They could be named Noelle and Nick!

Poltergeist Sweepstakes

Hmm. evidently Breyer is holding a contest to give away a Poltergeist model to one lucky winner.



 Entry period ends at midnight tonight! Edit: Durr, I read the rules wrong. The entry period ends 10/31 at midnight. Get your entry in now if you haven't gotten your Poltergeist yet! The contest is open to everyone; no Collector Club membership required. Good luck!

New Classic - Coeur de Lion!

There's a new Classics special run on the Breyer website! He's a little mini-Lionheart:

 
  "Inspired by the popular limited edition Lionheart model, Coeur de Lion is ready to find a place of honor in your collection!  We've painted up a favorite Classics sculpt in a rich dunalino with metallic accents. He also has primitive leg barring and a dorsal stripe all topped off with a spotted blanket and heavy gloss. Coeur de Lion is exclusively offered to Breyer Collectors Club members first!* 1/12 scale and comes in a mail order box."

He looks really nice! Too bad I don't collect the Terrang mold...oh well. His price is only $25! I wonder why Triton was $35; his paint job can't have been more complicated than this. Get him here.

Gideon is finally available!

At long last, Gideon is available to order!



From the website:

"Gideon is the epitome of the beauty and athleticism of the American Paint Horse. His deeply shaded and beautifully patterned coat accentuate his strong working stock horse conformation and flowing mane and tail.

As a Breyer Collector Club special edition, Gideon will be a treasured addition to your collection! Marked Collector Club 2016 on the belly."
Here's his other side!


So, I think his color is some kind of grullo? They didn't give any hints in the blurb. Although, they are actually giving us a run number this time - I don't think they've done that before. He's a run of 1,000 - they must think he's going to be pretty popular. I wonder if he was delayed to make the run a little bigger?

I don't collect SCO, so I won't be ordering him. That's okay - more for everyone else!

So, I wonder when the 2017 Stablemate Club will become available, and when this year's JAH will arrive. Geez, by this time last year I think all of the clubs were open, and had been for a while. What's with the delay?!

Chasing the Chesapeake models!

Now that my Chasing the Chesapeake goodies have finally arrived - and I got some time to unpack and photograph them - here they are! First, Chesapeake herself:

This model is gorgeous. Chestnut fits the Giselle mold well, and the gloss is just the icing on the cake. Her gloss is nice and thick, and I really like the chestnuts the company has been doing lately. Sadly, she leaves a little to be desired quality-wise; she has quite a few small bits of debris in her gloss. We needed to get back to the airport as soon as possible after the boutique ended, however, so we couldn't take the time to wait in line and get her exchanged. Fortunately, I don't show, so it's more an annoyance than anything else.

Next on our list is Raven!

This model is also gorgeous. He has lots of subtle dapples and I really like the contrast of the white of his tail. And I couldn't find a thing wrong with him, quality-wise. Just really well-done...although I am left wondering what a Missouri Fox Trotter has to do with a Chesapeake (Bay?) theme - although I'm guessing his name, Raven, is a reference to the Baltimore Ravens.

The next model is...Mason!

I really like this model's paint job. The last palomino Goffert we got was Noelle, and she was on the light side. This guy is typical of the palomino paint jobs we've seen from Breyer lately, with the darker points. I really like the metallic sheen in his paint and his creamy white mane and tail. The two we got were mostly okay, quality-wise, but the one I'm selling has some grayish debris around the edge of one of his pinto markings, and the one I kept has some dark smudges on his mane/tail that look like you could take them off with a white eraser. All of the pinto markings' edges were crisp on both models, though; I would have been disappointed to see smeared edges on a run this small. Both of my Masons are stallions; evidently 24 gelding versions were scattered into the mix. Again, though, I'm questioning the mold and color choice for a Chesapeake theme. "Mason" probably refers to...Freemasonry? Maybe? Or perhaps to Dixon - more on that below.

Third on the list is... Black-Eyed Susan!

I felt really lucky to get this one - she sold out faster than anything else other than Sagamore Rye (who I will get someday! *shakes fist*). Her color could have been boring, what with her lack of white markings, but she has so much depth and shading to her paint job that it's hard to fault her. And I couldn't find any flaws on this one either. The black-eyed Susan is the state flower of Maryland, so I can see where they got that from (although I'd probably have given it to a buckskin horse). I think the name works with her color, though. And they finally used the Fell Pony for something! I thought it was really odd that she was a brand-new mold and they hadn't yet used her for anything other than her first release. Fingers crossed for a silver filigree in December!

And lastly...Dixon!

This model is really, really nice. Her paint job has tons of dapples, but none of them have that unfortunate chicken-wire effect. Her eyes are nicely painted and her color is basically a more-shaded, mealy version of Chesapeake's. She's gorgeous, and if I still had room to collect Halla, I'd keep her. As it is, I sold my three Halla/Bolya models ages ago because I just didn't have room for them. Her name, Dixon, brings me back to my confusion regarding Mason's name - I'm wondering if the two are simply a reference to the Mason-Dixon line.

As for the other two models I didn't acquire, some Googling reveals that Testudo is the (turtle) mascot of the University of Maryland, and Sagamore Rye is a type of whiskey made in Maryland.

So, I think we mostly have a case of Breyer only loosely adhering to the theme of the event, with regard to the mold choices - which is typical. We should probably be happy that they at least used Maryland-themed names. At this point I'm mostly just relieved that there wasn't an Othello mold in the mix, or I would have been losing my mind trying to get my hands on it.

As for the next one of this type of event? Apparently it was announced that the next event will take place in spring 2018 - that works for me. The less last-minute shift trading with coworkers I have to do, the better.

The final 2016 Premier Club model has been revealed!

Sneaky Breyer, unveiling it on a Sunday when I wasn't expecting it...but, at least we didn't have to wait until later in the week, eh? So, our final Premier Club model of the year is...Yasmin!

 

 On first glance, I was kind of meh about her, but every time I look at her I like her a little more. We'll see what she looks like when I get her out of the packaging, but so far, things are looking good. Apparently she's a rework of a prior Eberl resin, which always makes me wonder why Breyer doesn't get the rights to other older resins and release them in plastic. I'd love it if they released Kathleen Moody's Infinity or Minuet resins in plastic (although Minuet's off side looks a little odd). I am not a resin collector, so the more older ones that make the transition to plastic, the better.

I also think Yasmin would make a great team with Weather Girl, though I'm not sure how comparable they will be size-wise.

I still wouldn't mind seeing a nice Saddlebred or TWH release in the Premier Club, though; I guess I'll have to cross my fingers next year.

Also, my Chasing the Chesapeake models arrived on Friday, so hopefully I can get some photos of them up later this week.

Featured Model - 10/22/2016, Hollywood Gold

It's time for another edition of Featured Model, the weekly event where I pick a model from my collection, give some stats on it and make commentary about it! This week's model is... the handsome Hollywood Gold! 

 This model, item #701799 issued on mold #50 Adios, was produced in 2000 for Quarter Horse Outfitters. He was a portrait of the real Hollywood Gold. ID Your Breyer doesn't have any information on how many were produced - I'd think around 2,000 or so, but I could be totally wrong on that.

The real Hollywood Gold was described as both dun and palomino, depending on who was doing the talking; I think it would be safe to assume he was a dunalino. The model certainly looks like a dunalino - and without the time to properly research this, I'm going to go ahead and say it was probably one of Breyer's first attempts at painting dunalino. And I think it turned out pretty well!

Adios is one of those molds that looks good in just about any color. I found this particular model at the Clarion last year, NIB for $20, after having been looking for one for years. Score! So he joined the collection. I'm up to 17 Adios models now - he is tied with Wintersong/Othello in my collection. I haven't acquired the Cherry Creek Fonzie Merit release yet; I'm pretty much waiting for my husband to get it for me for my birthday or Christmas (he's amused by Canadian things). I do have the web special Frappe, and I love his color too. I would LOVE to get a Cocoa Beach, but that doesn't seem likely to happen anytime soon. Pokerjoe is another release I like; the contrast between his white tail and the rest of his bay body is quite nice.

One of the only Vintage Club models I've purchased was Amigo back in 2014. He's a nice dark shade of charcoal - I prefer the mostly-black charcoal look to the brownish ones. Let's hope they eventually come out with that glossy bay Yellow Mount pattern on him - I'd buy that!

Adios is also one of the only Hess molds I still collect - I used to have examples of almost all of his molds in my collection, but most of them have ended up being sold off over the years - mostly when I needed shelf space for molds I like more. This mold is most often used to portray stock horses (not my favorite horse type), despite being a portrait of an older Standardbred stallion. Maybe that's why I still like him - because he wasn't originally sculpted as a stock horse? Who knows.

Another Premier Club sneak peek!

Another day, another sneak peek. And they even used the correct "peek!" Yay! Here's the photo:



I really like what I see so far. This is probably a prototype, but it actually doesn't look like it has a whole lot of mapping. So maybe our fears of production issues are unfounded. Let's hope so! I like most of the sculpts Brigitte has done for Breyer (excluding Salinero because he just looks weird to me), so chances are good that I'll keep this release! I hope the rest of her is as pretty as her barrel/shoulder! And she's clearly not a cow - yay!

Unfortunately, the rest of the reveal isn't happening until next week. But at least now we know!

The 2017 Premier Club is now open!

Well, we didn't get the rest of yesterday's sneak peek, but this is just as good! The 2017 Premier Club is now taking subscribers for next year!

Morgen's new sculpture certainly looks snazzy with clothes on! His official name is "True North." Unfortunately, I'm still not terribly excited about it, though I'll join the club regardless. Maybe once I get him in hand I'll like him more.

It also seems odd that they didn't list the other two sculptors for next year's club - maybe it's an accidental omission and they'll add it in later. The club is open until 12/31, so there's plenty of time to join! My collector club membership doesn't expire until 11/5, I believe, so I'll probably wait until then to join (I'd also like to wait until the 2017 Stablemate Club is available so I can join all three at the same time).

I'm still waiting to find out what this year's last Premier horse is, Breyer... *taps foot*

Please don't be a cow...

At long last, a hint about the year's final Premier Club model has been posted! (Under Club News on the Breyer website.) Photo from the website:



As usual, someone at Breyer needs a grammar lesson. It's peek, not peak. Here's a highly useful illustration on the subject.

At first glance, I like the pattern; I'm a little iffy on how good the execution is going to be, though. We all remember how Wyatt turned out, and the Hermosa/Corazon set from last year had its issues, too.

That said, it definitely has promise, and I have no opposition to spotted horses. Someone on Blab, though, said it looks like a cow. And...it kind of does? Which makes me nervous that it will, in fact, be some type of bovine. This is a Brigitte Eberl sculpt, though, and as far as I know, she isn't known for sculpting cows. That, and I think there would be a pretty big uproar if Breyer threw a cow into the mix. The Premier Club verbiage on the website explicitly says the Club is supposed to celebrate the artistry of model horses, however, so I wouldn't get too worried.

As for what breed this model is supposed to be, my vote would be for a Knabstrupper or perhaps some type of warmblood. We've already had one stock horse this year, so I doubt we'd get another one so soon. A Saddlebred would also be welcome - perhaps even a Spotted Saddle Horse? One can only dream.

Also, according to the sneak peek, this model is a mare! Whoo! More female representation is always appreciated. No word on when we'll see the full model - I'm hoping for tomorrow just because it seems like we should have found out what the darn thing is weeks ago! So the sooner, the better. I'll be crossing my fingers!

Chasing the Chesapeake Day 3: Success! (Mostly)

Whew! We're home from Chasing the Chesapeake. It's been a long day - but totally worth it!

After we finished having breakfast in the restaurant, we packed up our stuff and then headed downstairs to wait for our time to go through the boutique line. I'd been fretting for the past two days that we would get another terrible draw and end up with four Masons like last year...but that didn't happen! I ended up being toward the middle of the line, and my husband was 10 people behind me. He did get stuck with two Masons, but one of them will stay here, so...yay! More importantly, I was able to grab a Black-Eyed Susan and Raven. Sagamore Rye was #1 on my list, so I was sad not to get him, but definitely happy I was able to get the other two.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take individual photos of my models before we packed them back up and gave them (happily) to the UPS people who were in residence. Very handy of Breyer to have them there, as it saved us the bother of finding an open UPS location to ship everything back before we went to the airport. So, anyways...here are some group photos I took of the special runs that were on display. Firstly, the two I didn't get:

I used to collect the Shire Mare mold, but sold my three examples of her last year needing more space.

Next, the three SRs I did get:

And lastly, a moderately-better photo of Dixon, my centerpiece raffle model:

While we were buying models today, a Breyer staffer confirmed that these models were made from the last of the old Halla whiteware they dug up in the warehouse. So, that makes her pretty special! I don't collect Halla/Bolya anymore either (again, needed more space), so she will probably be for sale at some point.

After we were done buying ponies and having them shipped home, we headed back to the airport and our two flights home. So, it was definitely worth the trip! I hope I can attend the next one of these events!

More detailed analysis of the event models will come when they arrive here and I can provide better photos. Stay tuned!

Chasing the Chesapeake Day 2 Part Deux: Chestnut Boogaloo

Day 2 of Chasing the Chesapeake is over, with amazing results! First off, the centerpiece raffle model was a mealy chestnut Halla, whose name I forgot to ask them (all photos by me):

She's one of 20. She more or less fits the theme! And I may have won one...

We also got a few sneak peeks at some 2017 releases. Here's the first model in the 2017 Premier Club, sculpted by Morgen Kilbourne:

Nice, but not my cup of tea. It actually kind of looks like the Copperfox Fabio in a different stride. 

The other reveal was the first model in the 2017 Stablemate Club!

Again, it's nice, but I don't collect the G1 molds, so she'll get thrown on the sale pile.

The last peek was the Clydesdale Mare and Foal from the 2017 Vintage Club:

I had not realized they were glossy. Fun! I'm not going to join the 2017 Vintage Club, though, so I'm not too excited. (Edit: I guess I did know they were glossy and forgot. My bad!) Maybe next year will be a year I can finally cut back on model horse spending. 

...

HAHAHA! Oh, I really do make myself laugh sometimes. Oh well, I try.

Costume contest prizes ended up being leftover VC Lucky models - congrats to the winners, none of whom I got photos of! Oh well. There were a ton of amazing costumes, though!

Lastly, the silent auction lots consisted of:

Design Your Own Breyer

Caipirinha (2016 Breyerfest Volunteer)

Pack of 6 autographed Trad portrait models

Breyerfest 2016 vendor pack

Glossy Imperador das Aguas JM

I did not catch how much any of these ended for, but the last I heard, the Design Your Own Breyer was at $3000, the glossy Imperador was at $450 and Caipirinha was at $250 (presumably he went up). 

So, all that's left of the event is tomorrow's shopping extravaganza at the Breyer Boutique! Here's hoping one of us gets a good spot in the line!

Chasing the Chesapeake Day 2: Eventing, "Craft" Beer and Cornboxes, Oh My!

Well, the first part of Chasing the Chesapeake  Day 2 is over! Currently we're in the hotel waiting for the costume contest and related activities to start. So, I thought I'd type up a quick update!

Firstly, last night's raffle models were as follows (from Blab):

Sugarloaf
My Kind of Town
Tortuga
Copenhagen Sailor
Glossy Perlino Quelle Surprise
Chesterfield (resin).

So, I don't feel as bad about missing yesterday, although I wouldn't mind getting a Tortuga or glossy perlino. Oh well!

Cross country at Fair Hill was quite fun - we saw lots of horses, walked most of the course, and saw both Philip Dutton and Buck Davidson in action, which was pretty cool. All photos by me:

We were bemused by the sight of the "craft" beer tent with a Bud Lite truck parked next to it:

We didn't go inside, so I can't testify as to how crafty the beers were. 

Lastly, I was amused by the "corn sandbox" they had in the kids' play area. I've probably seen similar things before, but it amused me for some reason. Definitely less messy than a sandbox, for sure:

I'd totally play in that if I were still 5 years old. 

So, that's a quick recap of how our day went. Apparently a mockup of this year's JAH is floating around out there, featuring a photo of a mostly-white Hermosa (portrait of a real horse and RR for 2017), but I don't have a photo I can use, so that will have to wait until later. I'll update later with the centerpiece raffle model and other fun stuff!

Chasing the Chesapeake Day 1 - Special Runs are Revealed!

Hello all! The first day of Chasing the Chesapeake has arrived, although I've been spending it on planes. Currently we're in traffic trying to get to the hotel, but never fear! The word is out about the special runs for this event! Photos courtesy of Julia on Blab:

Writing a blog post on a cell phone is maddeningly frustrating, so if the formatting on this post ends up weird, that's why. So our special runs are not at all what I thought they would be; I don't think a single one really relates to the theme other than Chesapeake and the Stablemate. Speaking of the Stablemate, here he is (his name is Cecil):

While he does somewhat fit the theme, I don't collect this mold, so both of ours will be for sale. 

So, of the available special run options, I will be after Mason, Sagamore Rye, Raven and Black-Eyed Susan. If I'm remembering correctly, the quantities of these models are the same as the ones at Sweet Home Chicago this year. I really, really hope Breyer limits people from buying all the rare ones first, because if we get bad line draws again and end up with four Masons like last year, I am NOT going to be pleased. Maybe I'm just grumpy because I haven't really slept in the last 24 hours? Who knows. 

So those are the only updates I currently have. I will try to update again when I hear what tonight's raffle models are, if I don't suffer a rage-induced coronary from Blogger's total failure to make its software work on the mobile site. Argh!

Featured Model - 10/13/16, Spun Gold Surprise (Pinto)

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

This model was released on the popular Ethereal/Conquistador mold #582, sculpted by Kathleen Moody. He was a Breyerfest special run in 2011, one of the four possible models available as part of the "Spun Gold Surprise" special run line item #711134. He is one of 400 produced on this color. I wish I'd been able to attend the 2011 Breyerfest - there were so many goodies!

Ethereal is another one of those molds that make me go gaga. I want him in every color! My only nitpick is that I think gloss would have been AMAZING on this particular color - but it was only the second time Breyer had done the surprise model and I guess they were still figuring out how this whole "Surprise" thing was going to work. I'm generally ambivalent about gloss - either/or is fine with me in most cases (though I try to get both if possible) - but this guy is an exception.

The color on this model is pretty great, though - he photographs beautifully against a black background. I guess I'm just a sucker for pearly things, because I love the pearly effect on his mane and tail, and his golden sheen. If only I could get my hands on the rare one for a decent price!

Truthfully, sometimes I wish they'd do another Surprise item like this release - toss out the matte/glossy split and just do some different colors, maybe on a few different molds. They've gotten pretty predictable over the last few years - mix it up a bit! I don't think anyone really had much of a guess as to what the surprise was in 2011, or 2012 for that matter. Since then, though, the hobby usually has it narrowed down pretty well by the time Breyerfest comes around - I know we had it down to Roxy or Zippo in 2013, and nobody was surprised about the Nokota in 2014 or Lonesome Glory last year. This year's Esprit seemed like a foregone conclusion right from the get-go.

Breyer seems like a company that prides itself on being unpredictable- that and holding secrets close to the chest. So I hope next year is something that throws us all for a loop!

(Chasing the Chesapeake is TOMORROW! Whoo!)

Chase is now available in stores!

I've been seeing more and more Chase models showing up on Facebook, which means he's finally hitting the shelves! From Breyer's Facebook page:

"Take a 'Chance' (item 701735) - #breyer Midstates Special Run now available! #ruralking #bomgars #theisens #north40outfitters #coastalfarmandranch #murdochsranchandhomesupply #D&BSupplyWarehouse #jaxfarmandranch #peaveyindustries #ShiptonsBigRWest #CrestonFarmandRanch"

I haven't had a chance to hit our local Runnings to check, but I'd guess they'll be available there. Not that I'll be buying one - he's a nice color, but I don't collect the mold. More money for other things! Only 3 more days until Chasing the Chesapeake!

Only 4 days until Chasing the Chesapeake!

Greetings, readers! Today I bring tidings of...well, irritation (for me, anyway). Chasing the Chesapeake is a bare four days away, and an updated schedule/itinerary for it was sent out today. New to the schedule is a raffle of "unique Breyer models, yet to be revealed" at Friday night's dinner. Except we aren't going to be able to attend any of Friday's events due to the earliest flight I could get arriving at 4:45pm. Sigh...

So, I'm going to have to track down somebody to keep me updated on Friday's events. It just irks me because all of the raffles took place on Saturday night at last year's event. Bleh. We'll be busy flying and then picking up our rental car, making our way to the hotel and checking into our room. I suppose I shouldn't complain too much; these are all some real First World Problems (tm).

In other news, there will be a silent auction in addition to the Halloween costume contest on Saturday night. If it's anything like the silent auction at last year's Chicago event, there'll be a Breyerfest vendor pack, a Design Your Own Breyer, some type of test model, and a couple of other things - one of last year's lots was an early release of American Pharoah and the fifth lot was a 2015 Breyerfest Volunteer Model, Parfait. So perhaps there'll be a Caipirinha in the auction this year and an early release of something else - though, we don't even know of very many new releases for next year.

The Halloween costume contest will have three categories, much like the Breyerfest costume contest - Individual Adult, Individual Child and Group. Should be interesting to see, although we aren't participating in the costume contest anyway - too much to bring on the flight with us. We'll have to be content with being wallflowers (something I have a lot of experience with). No word on what the costume contest prizes are.

Ah, well. I'm sure it will be a fun time for all! I'm looking forward to Saturday's activities - I've never seen a three-day event, or cross-country, before. Should be exciting! I'll be counting down the days for sure.

Diesel, the Penultimate Stablemate Club release, is available!

Wow, that was quick! Our gambler's choice Stablemate Club release is ready, and it's...Diesel, on the G4 Reiner mold!




The available colors are:

Glossy grullo pinto (aka Mauvelous)
Glossy red dun? brindle (Auction SCO from a couple years ago?)
Wedgewood blue
Glossy bay Appaloosa (looks like Bonne Fete)

They are shipped randomly, of course, so we won't know what colors we get until they arrive. Exciting!

Sadly, the reiner just isn't my cup of tea, so I'll be passing ours on to people who want them. So of the six releases in the club, four of them were on molds I don't collect. Hopefully that means next year's club will have better mold choices for me, providing they even continue it next year. I hope it hasn't resulted in too many headaches for Breyer, as it's a fun club. The last two releases have happened fairly early in their release month, so hopefully they have all the kinks ironed out now.

I'll be looking forward to the announcement of next year's Club! Hey, where's my yearly JAH, anyway?

Featured Model - 10/6/2016, Bluegrass Bandit

Hello and welcome to yet another Featured Model, the weekly event where I pick a random model from my collection and give some stats and commentary about it. This week's model is...Bluegrass Bandit!

This pretty girl, model number 585, was the original release on this mold, sculpted by Kathleen Moody and Sommer Prosser. She was released in 2008 and ran until 2009, a fairly brief time frame.

I have to wonder what the story behind this model is - I admit I don't know how it all went down. Was it a collaboration between two artists to start with, or did something happen? This is the only Breyer mold I know of that's credited to two sculptors. Inquiring minds want to know!

The model itself is quite pretty - I love her rose-gray hue and her mostly-white tail. Her stance is much less weird-looking than the Dixieland Grand porcelain. Even better, the introduction of this mold meant Breyer could retire the old Midnight Sun mold for good (though that decision was likely made long before this mold came into being).

This is one of my favorite molds; I have all of her more attainable releases, and I especially love I'm Yours; she looks like she's made out of candy. Some people don't like her because of her admittedly-cartoony looks; I like a good cartoon horse just as much as the next girl, though! I think it's high time she came back into the regular run lineup - other than her short run as the 2012 Breast Cancer Awareness model, she hasn't been featured as a RR since her original, all-too-brief release. Show this southern girl some love already!

The 2017 Vintage Club offerings have been revealed!

The moment we all may or may not have been waiting for has arrived - the 2017 Vintage Club reveal!



Woohoo, I predicted two of the molds! I was expecting it to be zero! I'm really not good at predicting things. Interesting that they used Sham (a mold released in 1984) and the Classic Quarter Horse Family. So I'm wondering if their definition of Vintage ends in 1985, or possibly even later. I definitely wasn't expecting the CQH Family, because, well, they aren't Traditionals and I thought this was a Trad club.

So, our releases are: the Clydesdale Mare and Foal in glossy San Domingo paint;
Gambler's choice FAS in the original decorator colors;
The Classic Quarter Horse Family in some type of pinto;
a "glossy pinto deco Sham";
and the Stablemate freebies are the G1 twin foals.

Nothing there that I have to have, but that's not really a surprise. More money to spend on other things, I guess!

One of the new things they're doing this year is including accessories with some of the horses. As seen in the photo, the Clyde Mare/Foal will have blankets, as a callback to the old '70s releases with the green blankets, and the Sham will come with a vintage-style Arabian halter. All of these models will also come with carrying cases as well.



Interesting that the CQHF and Sham appear to have modern paint jobs, as I'd thought they settled on having the regular Vintage Club models be vintage molds in vintage colors, while the optional release was a modern mold with a vintage color. But this is Breyer we're talking about; they must not want to be too predictable. Hopefully they don't take too long revealing what color the Sham is; he almost looks like the fabled "Green Eggs and Sham" release from the 1990s, but in glossy. Perish the thought!

I couldn't help but notice the "Opportunity to purchase an exclusive special run!!" verbiage in the second photo. I wonder if this will be the Classic Swaps that was available to be voted on at Breyerfest? Photo by me.



The sign does say it's for one of next year's Club web specials. So I wonder if this will be next year's "optional" Vintage Club release, or a web special only available to Vintage Club members? If the latter is the case and you want the Swaps, they'd better not waste much time telling us about it so people who want it can join.

It would also be good to find out what the optional Vintage Club release is, so we can plan on that. Since they didn't reveal it at the same time as the Vintage Club, I have a suspicion that it may be on this year's final Premier Club mold...which is also due to be revealed soon. So my conclusion is: Hurry up and reveal it already, Breyer!

Breyerwest 2017 is a go!

I'm not sure if we already knew this or not, but Breyerwest 2017 has been confirmed! Via Breyer's Facebook page:

BreyerWest® will return to the Northwest Horse Fair and Expo, to be held March 24-26, 2017 at the Linn Co. Fair & Expo Center in Albany, Oregon. BreyerWest is a fun model horse event featuring model horse hobby demonstrations, model horse shows and fun craft for kids and adults. Erin Corbett will manage BreyerWest again this year and has recruited a number of equine artists to teach workshops and seminars and to judge the model horse shows. Featured sculptors, painters, tack makers and hobby experts will include Morgen Kilbourn, Sarah Minkiewicz-Breunig, Karen Gerhardt, Melanie Miller, Kirsten Wellman, Tiffany Purdy, Kim Bjorgo-Thorne, Eleanor Harvey, Heather Malone-Bogle, Stacy Faraci and Beth Rappleyea with others to be named. Model horse shows will be held Friday and Saturday, Stablemates painting and demonstrations will be held throughout.

I wonder if they'll do a SR this time. If so, I hope it's something I don't need, since we probably won't go (too far away, I don't show and we have plenty of horse fairs within driving distance). Either way, it's good to see Breyerwest continue; I know we all missed it during its long absence.

Featured Model - 10/1/2016, Saltire

Hello and welcome to the latest installment of Featured Model, the weekly event where I choose a random model from my collection, give some stats and provide commentary about it. This week's model is...Saltire!

Saltire was a special run for Breyerfest 2008. The theme that year was Global Gallop, and Saltire represented Scotland in the special run lineup. 1,050 of these beauties were produced. Saltire was produced on the popular Wintersong/Othello mold, first introduced as a porcelain in 1999 before eventually debuting in plastic in 2007.

Othello is one of my favorite molds, and I have almost all of his plastic releases. I've always liked draft horses, and I love his fluffy feets. Did I already say that about Brishen? I can't remember. This one is a popular guy in my house - only Adios outnumbers him on the shelves. (Edited to add: Whoops! Adios and Wintersong are now tied at 17 as of my latest purchase.) I can't wait for the unicorn to hurry up and get here already!

This particular individual is a little hard to look at, unfortunately. It's visible in the photo that he has some damage to the finish; he looked like he had a few scuffs in the sale photos, but the price was decent, so I took a chance. Unfortunately, he was shipped with almost no padding in a box that was far too small, and his left ear and the end of his tail actually punched through the side of the box. It's only by some miracle that he didn't get broken on his way to me. He arrived right before Breyerfest, and I was too busy with Breyerfest prep to do anything about it. So, at some point I'll have to send him off to get restored, but for the time being he's chilling on the shelf with his buddies.

One of my greatest fears is that this mold will eventually end up being used as the Breyerfest volunteer model and I won't be able to volunteer or get my hands on him for a non-insane price. Next year's theme being India mitigates that to an extent, but it won't fully go away until we find out what the volunteer model actually is. Talk about a first-world problem, huh? Worst case scenario: I'll have to save up my pennies. But hopefully it doesn't come to that!