For some reason, I've never done a post about Mini Whinnies

So, Mini Whinnies. I've been running this blog for a year and a half now and have never written a post about Breyer's tiniest models. I guess they just slipped under the radar. I'm pretty ambivalent toward them; they're too tiny and blobby for me, but I do remember when they were owned by Creata and went by the "Winner's Choice" brand name. A friend of mine had a lot of them when we were kids and we played with them a lot (my favorite activity was using the black rearing Arabian to "go nuts" and knock over all the other horses/playsets because he was "the Black" and liked to be crazy like that).

But I digress. Mini Whinnies have long been Walmart fodder, so of course Breyer had to start their blind bag phase using the Mini Whinnies. Past blind bag chase pieces have included the gold florentine draft horse and pink filigree jumper. There's a new chase piece in town now, though - the silver filigree Thoroughbred being found in Walmarts all over the country (along with last year's green/gold G3 Friesians, other blind bags from that release, and even the brand new blind bags with the copper filigree Django, according to rumor).

I have to admit he's pretty cool-looking (and less blobby than other molds of that scale), and it's not like I don't have space for Mini Whinnies - they're so tiny! - but I'm just not interested in starting another collection. They're just too small and liable to disappear in some forgotten box or crevice, especially once my son gets big enough to start running off with stuff. 

So, I'll have to be okay with observing from the sidelines, but that's honestly not that hard, as I hardly pay attention to the Mini Whinnies as it is. I'll have to do better in the future! 

Featured Model - 1/27/2018, Adios

Hello everyone! 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...Adios!



This model was the inaugural release on the Adios mold - Adios! He was a portrait of the real Adios, champion Standardbred harness racer and legendary sire. He's item #50, produced from 1969 to 1973, and was sculpted by Chris Hess.

This may actually be one of the oldest models in my collection! Most of my models are pretty modern, but there are a few older ones here and there. Adios isn't my favorite mold, but I still have an entire shelf (and more!) full of his models; he seems to be the other exception to my dislike of stock horse molds.

Okay, technically he's an aged Standardbred stallion, but the mold is frequently used to portray stock horses, so my point is valid. Interestingly, this model is a variation that doesn't have the weird black streaks on the hind socks like most of them do. I can't find a photo of the real Adios from this side to verify if he also had the weird streaks (though I don't know why he would). I still need to find a model that does have the streaks for my collection, but it's kind of a low priority at the moment.

Due to the age of the mold, he's been issued in a number of colors over the years - and some of them have been quite nice! I really like Hollywood Gold's color, as I mentioned in a prior blog post on him. I'm also a fan of Brandywine, Frappe, Cocoa Beach and You Oughta Be in Pictures, among others.

Despite the age of the mold, he hasn't been used at Breyerfest all that much - a couple of times as glossy prizes, one raffle model, one celebration model, one tent SR (two if you count the silvers) - and a number of auction models, of course. This year's Breyerfest theme is racing, so will we see Adios pop up somewhere? I'd be okay with that. Could he possibly be the surprise? Maybe, if Breyer (well, Sommer) can come up with four colors and patterns that haven't already been used and wouldn't make people complain that they looked too much like (insert previously existing model here). It could probably be done, though! Let's hope we see Adios somewhere.

Free Valentine plush with $25 purchase!

In other exciting news for today, Breyer is offering a free Valentine's plush with $25 purchase on the website. Here's a look:



The plush's name is Lovebug. I thought about it but...ehh. I don't collect plushes, the code won't work with the collector club 10% off code, and I'm just not excited about paying full price plus shipping for anything on Breyer's website - although I did think about getting Day Dreamer. Unfortunately, her price is $24.99...off by one cent. Of course.

It is a cute plush though! I wonder how many they made?

Glossy Foiled Again models at Breyerfest!

There's a new reveal on the Breyerfest Blog! Behold, the glossy Foiled Again:

According to the blog, this is a special edition that will only be available at Breyerfest. I figured they'd just gloss 500 or so of the regular run version of him, but there do appear to be some differences between the two (I don't own the regular run myself, so I'm going by the photo on Breyer's website). Here's the regular run:


The special edition looks like it has darker shading than the regular run, and the halter is green rather than yellow. The dark spot just above his tan hoof looks more prominent on the regular run as well, but that might just be the photo angle.

Interesting that they're actually painting some new Foiled Agains instead of glossing some from the regular run line. I suppose they have to put a little more effort into it since the real horse will be at Breyerfest and people will want to get their models signed.

The blog says any leftover models will be offered for sale to the public - I wonder how many they'll produce? This isn't anything I need to buy, so at least there won't be any competition from me.

My only gripe is - this would have been a great opportunity to finally release the Sarah Rose Hambletonian in plastic. Then it'd be about guaranteed to sell out! What a missed opportunity.

Kids' Valentine Grab Bags!

For lack of anything else to post about...Valentine grab bags for the kids are now available!



The days of really great stuff in grab bags are long gone, so I've never bothered to purchase one. But each bag supposedly contains $116 worth of items, so $50 might be a good deal. Good luck if you purchase one!

Featured Model - 1/20/2018, Red Carpet Royalty

Hello, readers! 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...Red Carpet Royalty!



This handsome fellow was one of the special runs for Breyerfest 2010. He's item #711115 and was produced on the Goffert mold sculpted by Kathleen Moody in a run of 1,100.

I LOVE this color on Goffert. It's so pretty! How often do we see that rich, glossy red bay on models? Not often enough, in my opinion (and bay isn't even one of my favorite colors). I remain mystified as to why this model isn't more popular. I found mine in the NPOD in 2012, and I'm fairly sure I saw others there for at least a couple of years after that. He's a Moody mold, and 1,100 should have been sufficiently limited. So what gives? Taking a quick look at sold eBay listings, the average price he's been selling for lately is around $75.

The only thing I can think of is that the Goffert mold is considered to be especially cartoonish even for a Moody sculpt, and perhaps he got overshadowed by other things. Among the other special runs were Stage Mom and Child Star, the first time Giselle and Gilen were offered in plastic, and Star Studded, issued on the ever-super-popular Silver mold (and in bay appaloosa, which I swear showed up as a SR line item for like 7 Breyerfests in a row). Other special runs included Technicolor, with his nifty color-shift paint, and Tinseltown on the popular Lonesome Glory mold.

With that kind of competition, I still shouldn't be surprised that Red Carpet Royalty apparently fell by the wayside...and yet he did. It'll have to remain a mystery, I guess. But hobbyists can be fickle, so it may be nothing more than that. In the meantime, he's a welcome addition to my collection, and I look forward to seeing Goffert again (hopefully) soon!

First 2018 Vintage Club Release and 2018 New Releases, Available Now!

Vintage Club members, beware! Ulysses is now available for purchase!



I'll be selling mine, but from his pictures he does look pretty nice. I remember some rumblings about Isabelle's execution not being the best (though I might be thinking of another release), so hopefully he's nicely done. Can't wait to see those gambler's choice Weather Girls!

In other exciting news, the new releases for 2018 are now available on the website. At least, the ones that aren't already in backorder are available. Unsurprisingly, Zena is backordered, along with all of the new Classics and a few other things. I thought about ordering some of the new items, but I think I'll wait until a free shipping weekend comes along and order then (also, maybe Zena will be back in stock by then). Hopefully there's a free shipping weekend soon!

Straight Bet - First Breyerfest 2018 special run!

The special run has been revealed, and he's certainly very shiny! Meet Straight Bet!



As most people suspected, he's on the handsome Duende mold! He certainly looks luscious in gloss! He's almost nice enough to be an auction model. Here's a description from the website:

Straight Bet is a richly shaded liver chestnut with dapples and a shiny coat of gloss, an uncommon but stunning color for the Lusitano breed! The model is on the lovely Spanish Stallion mold (745) sculpted by Mindy Berg.

I really like him (though I wouldn't mind seeing him with some white on his face - minor nitpick)! And is anyone really surprised that he doesn't fit the theme? Sure, we all hoped they'd finally stick with a theme for once, but it must be easier to just use whatever molds you want and give them themed names.

So, now we know the first special run model. This is probably the only one they'll reveal this month, but maybe we'll see a raffle or prize model before the month is out. I hope so!

Breyerfest 2018 Volunteer Applications

Hello, readers! It's only January, but that doesn't mean Breyerfest isn't on all our minds! And it's never too early to think about volunteering! Applications are now being accepted and can be found here.



I've been a volunteer three times now and have never failed to enjoy it! From workshops to seminars to the Craft and Activity tent, it's always (well, mostly) been a really fun time! I'll admit volunteering in the craft tent and anyplace else outdoors is hard due to the heat and humidity, but the volunteer model is well worth it. And it's fun to be an official part of Breyerfest in our own special way, since I doubt I'll ever work for Breyer. This is as close as I'll ever come to being a Breyer employee, and that's really special to me!

Applications are due in to Robin Briscoe by 3/1, so we have plenty of time to get our applications in. Last year I didn't apply to give myself a break (and because I was pregnant) but this year I'm definitely in, if they'll let me! I wonder what this year's volunteer model will be? Perhaps a nice Ruffian in dapple gray or palomino? Ooh, that would be awesome!

First Breyerfest sneak peek of the year!

Hello, readers! It looks like we have our first teaser photo for Breyerfest 2018, and here it is!



Well, that definitely looks like a chestnut Duende to me. And he looks glossy, too. That could definitely be a must-have; he's being revealed later this week, so we won't have to wait too long to see it. I was really hoping they wouldn't make us wait an ungodly amount of time before they started showing us the SRs - it really irks me how they drag things out so much. So I'm excited to see this guy!

Featured Model - 1/13/2018, Geronimo

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



Geronimo was the first release in the 2016 Premier Club. Sculpted by Kitty Cantrell, around 750 of this model were produced (as far as we know).

This mold is a bit of a departure for me. After I ended up selling or trading Wyatt, Bobby Jo and all of the other stock molds I owned from childhood, I finally realized why: stock horses just aren't my thing. I'm not that into Quarter Horses or other stock breeds in real life, either; this is probably because stock breeds are all you see around here.

So it's a bit odd that Geronimo is in my collection, being of a stock type, but I suppose there has to be an exception to every rule. I just find him really handsome! Well, most of him. There's something about his head I don't quite like. I think I've read that his eyes aren't quite placed where they should be on his head, and that might have something to do with it. In any case, it's not an issue that's enough to make me consider selling my Geronimos. The color on this model is really nice, too, although I think Breyer needs to give grulla a rest - it's been on everything lately, or so it seems.

Geronimo got a lot of use last year, as the TSC special run Jacy, Bandera (and later, glossy Bandera) and the matte and glossy Saffron special run models at Breyerfest. He's also been a raffle model and contest prize at Breyerfest (in 2016). So I wouldn't expect to see a lot of him this year, other than maybe popping up as a web special at some point. But hey, I wouldn't say no to that!

Christmas Bouncers are here!

I can't believe it's taken me this long to post about it, but...my Christmas Bouncers are here!

Okay, two of them have been here for almost a week, but the third didn't arrive until yesterday. I bought one on each of our three accounts, and was lucky enough to at least get a Sapphire and an Amethyst, but the wayward third box revealed...another Amethyst. Sigh. But I was able to find someone to trade an Emerald for my extra Amethyst. Success!

I should be biased toward Sapphire, since blue is my favorite color, but I can't decide which one of them I like the best. They're all so pretty!



I was pleased to see that the eyes are painted, even if they are plain black. Way better than Bandera's creepy unpainted eyes! And they were all quite nice in the quality department - I didn't see anything really wrong with any of them. While I think this was a bit of a weird idea for a Christmas release, I'm pretty sure no one was expecting jewel-tone clearware Bouncers for a holiday release. Breyer thinking outside the box once again! Clearly we needed to move away from the red/green model (though I still want to see a candy cane zebra someday). I can't wait to see what crazy thing they come up with for Christmas next year!

2018 Live Show Benefit Model - Vulcan!

Hmm...is someone at Breyer a Star Trek fan? One can only wonder. Meet this year's Live Show Benefit model, Vulcan!




Although the Running Stallion isn't my favorite mold - I had a few of them, but sold them off long ago (this has happened with a lot of molds...) - that color is really nice. It's very similar to 2016's Chesapeake or glossy Spring. Definitely a color Breyer needs to be using more often!

As a reminder, only around 30 of these models are produced and then raffled off at qualifying live shows. If participating shows have a children's division, they also receive a glossy version of the previous year's Classics Horse of the Year model (this year, Bella) to raffle off or sell as they see fit, to benefit the show. Live Show Benefit Program rules can be found here.

Featured Model - 1/6/2018, Moody Andalusian JCP Unicorn

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



This model was produced in 2011 as a special run for JC Penney. It was the first (and so far only) time this mold, the Andalusian Stallion sculpted by Kathleen Moody, has appeared as a unicorn. This was the final year of JC Penney special runs, and no production numbers were ever provided for this release.

Woo! More unicorns! I remember when this model was first revealed - I had to have him! I miss JC Penney special runs...but there are so many special runs these days that I'm sure something else picked up the slack. The exciting thing about this guy (other than his horn) was when they all went on sale for $17 each! I'm not sure what made them suddenly decide to dump all these guys at such a low price (it was before Christmas that year, if I remember correctly), but I was ecstatic! I was on a much tighter budget in those days, so any opportunity to save money was greatly welcomed! And it was a unicorn, so of course I had to buy it.

As for this guy's color, he at least looks somewhat realistic other than the purple shimmer, and while he's close to the typical "white unicorn" look, he does have a lot of shading and dapples to set him off. I wonder what he'll look like next to Zena? Other than tiny, of course; that mold tends to dwarf just about anything you set next to it.

All in all, the Moody Andalusian makes a great unicorn - maybe he'll pop up again sometime. I wouldn't mind seeing a whole web special series of just unicorns, but that would probably make the realists in the hobby community complain. Think of the possibilities, though? Black unicorns (glossy, of course), rainbow unicorns, chartreuse unicorns...okay, maybe not that last one. But it would be fun!

Mini True North is here!

Greetings, readers! Exciting news - my Premier Club freebie, Mini True North, came in the mail today! Observe:

As most people were probably aware, this year's Premier Club Stablemate freebie is a Stablemate-sized version of the Traditional Brishen mold. I'm surprised (and impressed) that Breyer went to the expense of shrinking down and then creating an all-new Stablemate mold from a Trad mold just for a Premier Club freebie, but I suppose all the funds they get from a year's set of subscriptions (almost $400,000 a year if the subscription numbers are the same as in the past) can probably pay for a new Stablemate mold as well as the other three new molds.

Here's his other side!

I was surprised to discover that this model is molded from ABS/styrene, not cellulose acetate. I would have thought they'd have used good old CA for a new mold, but evidently not. This year's Stablemate Club release on this mold should be molded from it, though.

And here's a view of his head!



Quality-wise, this model is excellent - I didn't see any major flaws aside from the paint looking weird around the bottom tendril of his mane on the right side - like the masking for the mane was too big and covered part of his withers as well. Otherwise, he's painted very well!

Interestingly, the parts of his mane that stick out on the Trad release appear to have been flattened down onto the rest of him to make sure they don't stick out - maybe they'd hang up in the mold if not fixed. It's interesting to see how things change in the shrinking process. I wonder if that will preclude certain other Trads from ever being converted to Stablemate size? Which one will get shrunk next. if any? I'm still not sure how excited I am at the prospect, but I wouldn't say no to a Stablemate Othello...

Hopefully we don't have to wait too long for the Stablemate Club release of this mold - I want to compare them!

Breyerfest 2018 tickets are now available!

Exciting news, everyone! Tickets to Breyerfest 2018 are officially on sale, and we have official photos of the Celebration Model Brass Hat, along with a couple of other reveals!



Ooh, I like the Brass Hat model more every time I see him. He'll make an excellent addition to the Carricks, although I hope they put a little more effort into his production than they did with Nazruddin last year. He's shiny without being glossy, as far as I can tell. Which means Glossy Brass Hat will likely be the prize for the costume contest! Must think of an entertaining entry...

We also know the early bird model - Riddle!




Undoubtedly named after Samuel D. Riddle, owner of Man o' War, War Admiral and others in his Thoroughbred breeding operation. The model is a really nice color, at least, but the only other thing I really have to say about it is...at least they got this mold out of the way early, and I don't have to be disappointed if I don't get drawn for the early bird!

Lastly for the reveals, we have a store special - Icabad Crane!




There's a blurb about him on the Guest Horses page, but it's not surprising at all that they're bringing at least one other former racehorse to Breyerfest! His model is on True North, so I don't need to buy one, fortunately. The color looks good on him, though!

Speaking of guest horses, two of them are real horses behind this year's new portrait models! EZ to Spot and Empres are both listed as guests, along with Foiled Again and Lil' Ricky Rocker (who will be on the guest horse list until the day he dies, presumably).

Exciting stuff! I hope more gets announced soon, though this time of year does tend to be dreary and dull. Maybe Breyer will be a little more generous doling out the tidbits this year? I hope so.

Oodles of mules!

Not that it matters now, since memberships are now closed (Happy New Year!), but the mule release in this year's Stablemate Club was revealed on Saturday! Well - make that mules, as it's the gambler's choice, Finn! Here they are:



The G2 mule never really appealed to me much; although I technically collected it, the only two I ever had in my collection were the original 1998 JAH release and the appaloosa from a JC Penney set - and I sold both of those at Breyerfest last year. I do like these colors, though - as others have observed, they appear to be mini-me versions of Lucy, Oliver, Brown Sunshine and this test model.

So, whichever mule I get from my sole membership this year will most likely be for sale - unless I get the rainbow one. My weakness for rainbow anything is well-documented, and I can't guarantee I'd sell that one...right away. We'll just have to see what happens!