The 2018 Stablemate Club is (mostly) revealed!

Greetings, readers! As a continuation of yesterday's post, today I'm going to talk about the 2018 Stablemate Club reveal on the last page of this year's JAH.

Look, it's mini Brishen again! I wondered if he would show up. And his cute little box - I won't even want to take him out!

And dare I assume that those silhouettes are the molds that are going to be used next year? One of them doesn't look familiar...must be the new mold for next year? Exciting!

It does seem a little odd that they're showing a photo of the mini Brishen, when the G1 release is usually the first to come out, and the one used to promote the club. And shouldn't the new mold be last in the lineup? Confusing. I'm happy about these silhouettes, though - they make it a lot easier to plan. Now I already know I only need one membership for next year! I don't collect any of those molds except for mini Brishen - yay!

As for the new mold...am I the only one that thinks it's a little awkward-looking? Looks like a cross between an Arabian and a really pathetic big lick TWH. Hopefully we get some actual photos of it later in the year when they open up enrollment.

Lastly, if you look closely at the pages of the magazine, Breyer is running a contest to win the test color Swaps that wasn't used for this year's Scotty release. More information here (must be logged into your account to view).

That's all I have for today - hopefully we get more exciting reveals soon! 

The 2017 Just About Horses is out in the wild!

Greetings, readers! I bring exciting news (that you've probably already heard!) - the 2017 JAH issue is in collectors' hands, and there are so many exciting things to talk about! However, today I'm going to talk about the Premier Club reveals!

I'll start with the cover of the magazine - behold, the final Premier Club release of 2017 - Carina and Selene!

Okay, Breyer has to be trolling us at this point. They got up everyone's hopes that we would get a new draft mare and FOAL set - because the grand total of one draft foal in Breyer's lineup could really, really use an update - and we get Lipizzaners instead? Bleh.

I like the sculpts, and they'll probably stay with me, but...argh. I wonder if this duo will be released on time, or if they got caught up in the other delays we've had this year? I guess we'll find out.

On a slightly different note, I could be wrong, but it almost looks like the models in the photo could be the actual finished production pieces instead of the resin prototypes? That bodes well for the future, although there's still plenty of room for quality issues.

Next, I'll move on to the first release from the 2018 Premier Club, Bristol!

Wow, a jumper! We haven't had a new one of those for a while. I like his color, too!



There's a full-body photo of the completed resin, though I suppose we'll have to wait until signups open to see what the painted sculpt looks like. Looking at those sketches on the upper right, I like the "taking off" one the best, honestly. I don't know why, but none of Morgen's sculpts have appealed to me so far (nothing against her personally), and I'm similarly lukewarm about Bristol. Maybe I'll like him better once I see a full photo, but no promises there.

There are a couple of other things from the JAH issue I'd like to cover, but that will have to wait until tomorrow.

In the interest of full disclosure, I recently had a baby and as such, may not be able to update the blog in as timely a manner as I'd like. Please be patient as we figure out this new parenthood adventure!

Featured Model - 10/28/2017, Valegro

Hello, readers! Welcome to yet another installment 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...Valegro!



This model is item #1756 on the Valegro (duh) mold sculpted by Brigitte Eberl. The mold debuted in late 2015 and was a portrait of the real Valegro.

I remember this mold causing a bit of a sensation when it first showed up! Lots of people were excited about him, and I have to say I really do think he's handsome. Brigitte did an excellent job on the sculpt and I'm glad to have him in my collection, despite my lack of interest in dressage in general. This color looks really nice on him, and the other colors he's been released in have been quite nice as well (the sheer amount of variety on the Indu release from this year's Breyerfest has been incredible).

As for the sculpt's longevity, however, I've seen reports that these models may not fare so well in the long run. It seems the front ends of the models may not be getting the amount of support they need, and the models end up twisting downward as a result. This is definitely a concern - however, I have yet to see any photos of this happening, so it could all be hearsay for all I know. Definitely something we'll have to look out for in the future, and possibly something to keep in mind when considering spending large sums on rare and/or expensive releases on this mold.

Despite that potential problem, though, I'm glad I have my Valegros! They add some flair to my collection in their own understated way.

And for the final question - where will Valegro turn up next? Who knows! I personally think this year's silver filigree model will be on a Premier Club horse from last year (go Yasmin!) but I wouldn't be in the least surprised if it were on Valegro instead. I guess it won't be too much longer until we find out!

Breyer: It's the 2018 Vintage Club! Me: NOOOOOOOO

So the 2018 Vintage Club lineup has been revealed, and I'm not happy about it. Behold:



Weather Girl? WEATHER GIRL? As a Vintage offering! And not only that, she's the gambler's choice...so if I want them all, I have to hope I can get into the club on all three of my accounts next year, then hope I can at least sell everything I don't want at cost until the Weather Girl is released? Blargh! Why must you do this to me, Breyer! Haven't you gotten enough money out of me over the years?

Oh well. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to join on all three accounts, then drop out of two of them once the gambler's choice is over and done with. Unfortunately, I wouldn't be surprised if the gambler's choice is the last release this year. And they aren't telling us what the optional extra model is (again). Maybe that'll be something I want. I'm going to need the Stablemate, too, so if the optional release is something I want, it might be worth joining on at least one account.

I can see why they're using Weather Girl - those are all old PAM colors (splatter dapple gray, alabaster, mahogany bay) - so it's like they're updating the old PAM releases. Just...why not the FAM instead? Ugh.

I'm also curious about the Legionario. Uh, we've already had a dapple black release - Isabelle, in 2014. There are a ton of vintage colors they could have used on Legionario - like, any of them, since his original release was the alabaster. Why use a color they've already done once?

Also, not that it matters to me that much, but where's the Semi-Rearing Mustang they did the poll on earlier this year? Maybe he's the optional release...which seems odd. But whatever.

I don't have any complaints about the other releases - the San Domingo and the Grazing Mare/Foal look glossy, and the San Domingo appears to have a more modern paint job - which isn't a surprise, given this year's Sham (though he looks the same color as that Sham).

The Stablemate is on the G2 Saddlebred - that seems random, but whatever. The color looks like the old-style red roan, which isn't my favorite color, but gotta have it for the collection. Let's hope they don't waste too much time opening up club renewals to the rest of us!

Another test model on the website!

The series of tests available on the website continues! This time it's a Quarter Horse Gelding:



My reaction: meh. I'm not a fan of the QHG or of the old-style red roan colorway. But, to each their own!

From the email:

Red, as we've nicknamed him, is a test color Quarter Horse Gelding.  He sports a vintage splatter red roan coat reminiscent of 1970's Breyer roans, with a pink muzzle and grey hooves.  His halter is hand painted black with gold hardware.  Red has been gracing our archive for nearly ten years and he's ready for a change of pace! He is mostly free from flaws.  He has a small rub that is hard to see but that can be felt on the point of the right hip.  He’s also got a couple of minor hoof edge rubs.  Otherwise he’s in great shape and excited about discovering a new home! 

At least they painted his halter a color that doesn't look horrible with the rest of him (I'm still grumbly about the pink halters on these. Pink? Really?). 

The deadline for entering is on the 26th, so don't wait too long! I'm not going to enter, but good luck to everyone who does! He'll make a nice addition to someone's collection.

Featured Model - 10/22/2017, Hermosa

Ack! Somehow I forgot to write a Featured Model post for yesterday! My memory must be failing. As usual, Featured Model is 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 - Hermosa!



This pretty girl is item #90173, and is the first release on the Hermosa/Andalusian Mare mold sculpted by Brigitte Eberl. As the first release in the 2015 Premier Club, she was part of a run of around 750 and was also part of a set with her foal, Corazon/Andalusian Foal.

I really like this mold, especially the expression on her face, her light trot and her flowing tail. Has anyone else noticed most of the molds Brigitte has done for Breyer are trotting? Must be her specialty. This particular release had a lot of quality issues, including mismatched masking on her hooves, but mine was mostly okay.

Unfortunately, trotting molds have an unfortunate tendency to tip over, and many of Brigitte's sculpts are no exception. My Weather Girls are pretty bad about this, as are my Gilens, and Hermosa needs to be added to that list too, unfortunately. My three Andalusian Mares are currently living on my dresser, and Fantasia del C has to be propped up to get her to stand. This means she falls over and takes out Mamacita every time I forget and open a drawer too vigorously. If I was braver, I could take a hair dryer to her leg, but I'm just not that brave. So, the dominoes continue until I find a better place to put the mares. Oh well.

Hermosa has been used only twice (in actually attainable releases) since her 2015 debut - as 2016's Breyerfest special run Mamacita, and as this year's regular run Fantasia del C. She's been a BF live auction model once, and was the winning prize in the first year of the BF customs contest. I'm seeing a pattern here...hopefully she gets used outside of a Breyerfest context soon - perhaps as a web special, or collector club special run? A mare this pretty should be used more often!

Warehouse Find TWH is here!

Good news, everyone! My warehouse find TWH/Bear arrived today, and I have photos! Behold!

First off, here's what the box looked like (sorry for the poor photo):

This is pretty much what I was expecting - generic box, nothing personalized about it. No breed blurb on the back, etc.

Next, the horse herself!

She's pretty basic - flat black, no shading to speak of, chestnuts and horseshoes left black instead of being painted. I should probably be grateful she at least has eyewhites!

However, not painting the shoes and chestnuts does make it easier to avoid screwups. And she is pretty good, quality-wise - some pinpoint white flecks on her off side and maybe a couple other minor things, but that was it. It's hard to screw up flat black, for what it's worth.

And here's a bonus picture of her with the original Bear:

It's hard to see in the photo, but the original Bear does have some reddish shading that the TWH doesn't. Plus the details, of course.

And lastly, here's a photo of their VINs:



TWH on top, Bear on the bottom. The TWH's VIN reads August 08, while Bear's was Oct 2011 if I remember right. So these aren't models that have just been sitting, forgotten, in some dusty warehouse corner for the past few years - they were painted only a couple of months ago. As for why Breyer doesn't just use them for special runs or something, it's probably a cheap/easy way to paint up some old bodies to sell. Especially since most of these warehouse finds have been on older, less popular molds. Rather than flood the market with low-run web specials that won't sell as well, just paint them up as reissues of old regular runs and get rid of the bodies that way. Makes sense to me!

That's all I've got for today. I wonder what sort of warehouse finds we'll get in the future!

As Sweet As Candy

So there's a new micro-run available for entry on the Breyer website, and I think it's super-cute! Check him out:



Candy corn donkey! And his name is Cornelius! So cute! He's glossy AND pearly, too! It would be a match made in heaven, if only I collected Brightys.

The only thing I'd do differently is have the different colors masked off instead of fading into each other - the color edges on candy corn are usually fairly crisp. And maybe give him more detailed eyes - what if his eyes were orange, too? That would be super cool!

This is a micro run, with only 50 pieces produced. Whew! Despite his cuteness, I won't be entering as I don't collect Brighty- that should give some of the people who want him a bigger chance! I almost wish they'd done this on a mold I collect so I could enter. Someone on Blab mentioned a candy cane zebra for Christmas, though - that I could totally get behind.

In the meantime, make sure you get your entries in! The entry period for this guy is only two days! Get your entry in here, and good luck to everyone who wants him!

Allegiance is now available for purchase!

This year's fifth Stablemate Club release, Allegiance, has been revealed and is ready to order!



Yay, patriotism! According to the email blurb, this guy is a mini-me of Patriot, one of the special runs from last year. Not sure why they thought releasing this guy now instead of like, June or August was the way to go - last year's decorator, Ricochet, came out in August, and it probably would have been better to release this guy closer to July 4, but oh well.

I liked Patriot, and I like the paint job on this guy, but I'm just not a fan of the mold, sadly. So, both of ours will have to be rehomed. But that's a good thing when you're trying to cut back on purchases - I just hope we can at least get our money back. I don't think that'll be terribly difficult, though. If you're in the club, happy ordering!

Fletcher is available for preorder!

Exciting news! Next year's first Collector Club special run, Fletcher, is already available for preorder - with a choice of matte or glossy finish!

They haven't had this option for Collector Club members before - I wish they would! Oh well. I won't be ordering this guy anyway, since I don't collect Wyatt. He sure is nice-looking in glossy, though! 

Here he is in matte (with a different-colored stand - interesting).

He looks like a completely different model in matte. I definitely like the glossy better - though I'm still wondering what's going to happen with those three test models that were in the tent at Breyerfest.

In the meantime, Fletcher can be preordered by current Collector Club members until November 30, so undecided members have plenty of time to decide if they want him. His total cost is $75 plus shipping, with a $25 deposit due at the time of preorder. Order him here!

Featured Model - 10/14/2017, Forever Saige

Hello, readers, 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 provide commentary about it. This week's model is: Forever Saige!



This item was #90175, and was the final release of the 2015 Premier Club. This was the original release for this mold, and she was sculpted by Kristina Lucas Francis. As a Premier Club release, we don't know exactly how many were produced, but it's probably safe to assume there are around 750 of them...unless some of the leftovers got painted over and released as the chalky Hwins that have been popping up at Tractor Supply recently. But we don't have any confirmation of that.

This model was pretty controversial when it first came out, mostly because of her neck, which evidently started out shorter and was lengthened per a request from Breyer. Personally, it doesn't really bother me that much, mostly because her sassy expression makes up for it. I love this mold's attitude! She definitely has that boss-mare "don't mess with me" look.

As for her color, I like it, though the purplish shading is a little odd, and I'm starting to get tired of nearly every new release being some shade of grulla (Forever Saige, Primrose, Mirado, Geronimo to name a few). I almost wish the Premier Club release had been in this color instead (or that I'd had the money to buy that test); ah, well. Hopefully Forever Saige gets released in a new, sassy color soon, though she was a Breyerfest SR last year, is in the current line as Hwin and was this year's first Collector Club model. Maybe she'll show up as a web special next year? That would be pretty cool!

Sugarmaple and Calavera are here!

After a long wait, and then two days of being held hostage at the post office, my Sugarmaple and Calavera models are finally here! Woohoo! I'll start with Sugarmaple!

I've been seeing a lot of variation in this run in online photos of him; some of them seem to be a lot more red or green than others. Mine seems to be in the middle, with more of the brown/gold rather than red or green. Which is fine, though I somewhat hoped I'd get one of the greener ones. Oh well!

Quality-wise, he's a little...odd. I don't think the leaves are decals - they look more like stencils. But some of them look a little weird around the edges. Not sure if they'll show up very well in photos or not.

Maybe it's a side effect of using gold paint on a translucent model, but it almost looks like the gold started to (or just threatened to) flake off when the stencils were removed.

But, in the grand scheme of things, it's a fairly minor issue and I didn't see anything else wrong with him. Here's a shot of his handsome head!

I'm excited to get this guy lined up with the rest of his brethren! Sugarmaple is definitely here to stay.

Now, on to Calavera - I'm so happy with this model! I've been hearing a lot online about how flawed this run was, with horrible wrinkled decals, poor paint jobs and the like. But mine is almost flawless!

With the amount of decals on this model, I'd have expected to find something wrong with at least one of them, but to my amazement, NONE of these decals are wrinkled or otherwise have anything wrong with them other than the visible borders (which is inevitable when the model isn't glossed).

As for other flaws, he's got a few small dings here and there, and his mane could have been painted a little more neatly. I'd have liked to see less stark black and more purple on the tendon areas of his legs, but that's more personal preference than anything else. I'm very, very happy with this model and so glad I got a good one!

Have I mentioned how much I like the colors used on this model? I love his white face, and the orange-red mane and tail, and the purple legs. The flowers look great too! I think this was an excellent design, and a nice departure from the usual Halloween model.



I don't think I've seen decals this good since I got my also-flawless Luna back in 2012. Though, now that I think about it, my Marigold from this year's Breyerfest has pretty good decals too, and he was designed by the same person that designed Calavera (Lauren Hoeffer). Coincidence? Probably, but I'm happy anyway!

All in all, I'm really happy with this model! At least for now...we'll have to see how well these models age. I'll be curious (and probably disappointed) to see what happens to these decals in 20 years or so. But that's a question for another time! Until next time, readers! 

Griffin is now available for purchase!

Another day, another dollar...or model, in this case. The second Collector Club special run for 2017, Griffin, is now available to order!

A sample of this model was displayed at Breyerfest, and he (or at least that particular sample) looked a lot more orangey than in these promo photos.



My suspicions about Griffin's curiously dark hooves (and his true color) were correct, though -  he's a blond chestnut, and his hooves have been blacked for the show ring! From the email:

This special edition Irish Draught cross is a beautifully shaded and dappled rich blonde chestnut.  Four high white socks and a blaze give Griffin character.  His mane is braided and his hooves are darkened, making him ready for a show in his athletic trot. 

As usual, there's no word on how many were produced, although this type of run tends to be around 1,000.

He certainly is handsome, although nothing I need to buy. But I hope everyone who buys him is happy with him! 

Ooh! New Warehouse Finds!

So, I got an email today that Breyer had put up some new Warehouse Finds on the website. If you aren't familiar with the Warehouse Find situation, in 2013 some mysterious models showed up in the Breyer Store at Breyerfest. They were essentially reissues of old regular runs, but in generic boxes and with the longer Special Run-type item number. After Breyerfest, they showed up for sale on the website, and others have periodically been added to the lineup since then.

We never got much of an official explanation from Breyer as to exactly what they were, but I did overhear longtime Breyer employee Ed telling someone in the Breyer Store that the models had been leftover whiteware found in the warehouse that they painted up to sell. Not sure why they didn't turn said whiteware into some type of actual special run rather than paint it as old regular runs that (for the most part) haven't sold out, but there it is.

Actual bundles of whiteware models have been offered for sale at Breyerfest as well; though they always seemed to sell well, maybe the amount of whiteware Breyer found was too much to justify throwing it all into the store.

Anyway, the six new Warehouse Find models are as follows:

Bluegrass Bandit in black (reissue of Elvis Presley's Bear)
San Domingo in palomino pinto (reissue of Let's Go Riding Western)
Legionario in mulberry gray (reissue of Medieval Knight)
Stock Horse Mare in dapple gray (reissue of American Quarter Horse Mare)
Justin Morgan in bay (reissue of Double Take)
Quarter Horse Yearling in sorrel (reissue of American Quarter Horse Yearling)

If these warehouse finds are anything like the previous ones, they'll be similar to the originals, but with small differences. For instance, it looks like the Bluegrass Bandit doesn't have painted horseshoes, the chestnuts are the same color as the body, and eyewhites are minimal. The San Domingo looks a lot yellower than the original release, and so on. We'll have to wait and see what we get when they arrive (I only ordered the BGB), but I'd guess they'll be in the generic reissue boxes with special item numbers like the previous ones.

Happy ordering, if you're so inclined! And don't be a dummy and forget to use your Collector Club discount like I did (d'oh!).

2017 Silver Filigree Speculation

It's that time of year again, folks...time to speculate on what this year's silver filigree web special will be! Last year I was hesitant to predict there would be one, because they had a tendency to skip years occasionally, but since we've now had an uninterrupted streak since 2013, it's probably safe to assume we'll get a silver filigree this year, too. Here's a list of all the previous ones:

2008 - Silver Snow
2010 - Alpine
2011 - Mont Tremblant
2013 - Aspen
2014 - Chamonix, Banff
2015 - Sugarloaf
2016 - Avalanche

 There's also been a tendency to use new molds for this special run - and in recent years, that means one of the Premier Club molds from the previous year. As a refresher, last year's Premier Club molds were Geronimo, Shannondell and Yasmin.

Personally, I don't see them using Geronimo, as he appeared in matte and glossy at this year's Breyerfest and was the TSC special run to boot. Shannondell or Yasmin seem like more likely options, and since Shannondell was just used as Markus and also appeared at Breyerfest, that leaves Yasmin as the least-used as the bunch (with one piddling Breyerfest release that wasn't terribly popular, despite how pretty she was). So I personally hope Yasmin is the silver filigree this year. I wouldn't be surprised if it did turn out to be Shannondell, though, simply because he seems to be the more popular of the two molds.

As for when we'll find out, I seem to remember hearing about Avalanche in early November last year, so I'd guess around the same time frame for this year. Crossing my fingers for Yasmin!

Featured Model - 10/7/2017, Delivery Wagon Shire B

Hello, readers, 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 Delivery Wagon Shire B!



This handsome guy was produced in 2003-2004 as part of the Delivery Wagon with Clydesdale Team set. This set included a very pretty blue delivery wagon, two harnesses and the Shires A and B in a nice bay color. It was item #2405, and the Shire B was sculpted by none other than Kathleen Moody. I believe this set was a regular run, which makes one wonder why it's so expensive to obtain now. I don't think it was particularly popular at the time of its release, so that may be why.

In last week's Featured Model, I think I said Make a Wish was the first mold to have interchangeable body parts, but clearly I forgot about the Shire B! Although I'm pretty sure the Shire B is its own mold, distinct from the Shire A, but I don't know for sure. Either way, everyone knows the Shire A and the Shire B are the same mold, but the Shire B has the tucked head to distinguish it.

I wish the Shire B would get used more often; the Shire A has had a healthy number of releases and is in the current line as the Best of British Shire Stallion and was used as the Sharpieloosa Triton last year. Shire B, though, hasn't been used since his unexpected appearance as Frosty in 2014, and had only two wide releases before that.

I like this mold because he looks like he's showing a little more attitude than the Shire A. There's the Shire A, looking all happy and obedient, stealing the limelight again. Shire B tosses his head in frustration! He wants to be the star too! But there's the Shire A, that goody-two-shoes jerk. Shire B will show them someday! He'll show them all! Er...you get the idea.

So, anyway. The Shire B definitely needs more chances to shine - hopefully this happens soon! I'm always down for more releases on molds I like!

Collector Club 2018 memberships are now open!

Exciting news! Collector Club memberships for 2018 can now be purchased on Breyer's website. More importantly, the club structure is being revamped somewhat to be based on the calendar year rather than the old rollover structure. If you're already a Collector Club member, presumably you've received an email about this explaining the changes and providing a discount code to extend your membership through the end of the year, based on when it currently expires (or longer, if it expires next year sometime). And, apparently this flashy guy is one of next year's Collector Club models!



His name is Fletcher, according to the website (where do they come up with these names?). He's beautiful, especially with the gloss (Gloss on a Collector Club special run? Gasp! They haven't done that since Tesoro de Oro in 2014!).

Interestingly, he looks a lot like these three models that were on display in the Collector Club tent at Breyerfest this year:



They're similar, but not quite the same shade of...whatever color that is. Unless Fletcher's gloss is really bringing out the color there. So are they not going to use any of the bottom three? It would be weird to have both of next year's Collector Club horses be appaloosas in almost the same color (and disappointing for me, as I don't collect any of these molds). I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Goblin is here!

Greetings, readers! It's been a pretty slow news week so far - hopefully we see something exciting tomorrow! But it looks like the Sugarmaples are in stock and shipping now, including mine - yay! My Calavera has been waiting for Sugarmaple to come in stock before it shipped, so they're both on their way to me now. The Markus models are also starting to show up in stores, but I didn't buy one, so I won't have photos of him. In the meantime, though, my Goblin came!

There have been a lot of comments on the Internets about how these models don't glow, but it seems like the ones that do glow aren't as bright as the ones we're used to. I haven't had a chance to test mine out to see if it glows, but I'm assuming they probably all have the dim purple glow I've seen in photos.

I really do like her, though! Even the weird snake eyes, which I suppose I should have expected for a model named Goblin. And the monsters are just as cute as they were in the promo photos!



Unfortunately, she's a little lacking in the quality department. Nothing really terrible, just dings and paint blobs here and there. The monsters are stenciled on, fortunately, so at least we don't have to deal with wrinkled decals. I really like her purple color, too! All in all she's a unique and pretty model and I'm glad I bought her!