Featured Model - 3/31/2018, Shadow of Blue

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... Shadow of Blue!



This model was a special run at Breyerfest 2001. In those days, Breyerfests didn't have themes (although Spirit of the West would debut the next year), so Breyer could produce whatever special runs they wanted. Maybe they should go back to that? In any case, Shadow of Blue was a portrait of the latest (male) offspring of one of the guest horses that year, Silky Keno. As item #710301, 1500 of these models were produced on the Amber mold sculpted by Kathleen Moody. And for all anyone knew, they sold out at that event...until Breyerfest 2013 came along.

That year, intrepid collectors in the NPOD found old leftovers of Shadow of Blue, priced at $15 each. Jackpot! I wasn't in the Breyer Store line quite early enough to find anything truly spectacular, but I remember seeing a lady and (presumably) her daughter looking at one. The daughter didn't seem especially interested in buying it, so I was planning on grabbing it as soon as she put it down. The mother saw me eagle-eyeing the model and told her to hold on to it (at least that's probably what she said, as I was too far away to hear what they were saying). Sadly, I meandered off, thinking the model was lost to me...until I found a whole box of more of them. Success!

So, Shadow of Blue joined my herd. I always liked the blue-black color of this model, probably because blue is my favorite color. So Shadow of Blue is a treasured part of my herd! I have most of the other Amber models, but someday I'd like to get my hands on the raffle set from 1999. I love decorators, and I always thought those two looked so nice in gold charm and wedgewood blue! Maybe someday. In the meantime, I'll have to be happy with my Shadow of Blue!

Amber was last seen in the regular run line as Sweet Pea, so she probably won't pop up there for a while. I wish Breyer would use the foal molds for special runs and/or web specials more often, but I suppose they have so many molds now that something has to fall by the wayside. I hope we see her (and her sister!) again soon!

Premier Club sketches are arriving!

Exciting news! This year's Premier Club sketches are starting to show up in members' mailboxes! Excuse me a moment while I throw mine into my scanner.



There we go. I'm not sure where those rainbowy overtones are coming from - the actual paper print doesn't look like that. I guess it makes the digital version more fun!

So that's our sketch of Bristol. If the production Bristol looks as good as the drawing, it's looking more and more like my Bristol will stay with me. Maybe this will be the first year I keep all three sculptures since 2012, the inaugural year? I guess we'll find out!

Not much information to go on in the welcome letter, sadly. The Cantrell sculpture is described as "versatile and wonderful," while the Sifton sculpture isn't really described at all, except that its paint job was designed by Tammi Parlmarchuk. I guess we'll have to be patient on those.

As a reminder, Bristol models are supposed to ship in May, so we've got quite a while to wait. Hopefully the production models look as good as the prototype!

Another Breyerwest is in the books!

Hello, everyone! I've been shamefully neglectful in posting about it, but this year's Breyerwest took place this past weekend at the Northwest Horse Fair and Expo in Albany, OR. And Breyer brought some examples of this year's Breyerfest models with them! First, a view of the Breyer Booth, from Breyer's Facebook page:

As you can see, Dally and Spanky made an appearance this year! It's always good to see the dog and pony show back in action.

And here are some of the Breyerfest 2018 special runs! All photos courtesy of Julia N. on Facebook, used with permission. First, here's a look at Woodford, the Saturday raffle model!

It's hard to tell for sure, but he looks pearly in his mane and tail and on his feathers. I wonder if he's basecoated? I'll have to get an up-close photo of him at Breyerfest and see. He's definitely pretty, though!

Next we have Julep and Pim. They look pretty nice, although these are prototypes, so who knows what the final product will look like. It doesn't look like Julep has any dapples to potentially screw up, though, so we can always hope. And I like the Carina mold more every time I see her! Pim's back looks really flat, but it's probably just a trick of the light. Her paint job looks reasonably intricate, too. I wonder what their run number will be? I'm really hoping they do a matte/glossy split on these! I keep hoping they'll stealth-change Pim's lame name, but it doesn't look like it's happened yet.

Here's Riddle, the early bird raffle. I'm not really a fan of the Man o' War mold, but I have to admit that color looks really nice on him. I'm almost always a fan of glossy gray paintjobs, though, so I might be biased. Hopefully they do/did a nice job with him, but with a run of only three, it'll be hard to mess that up.

Next we have the PAM special run, Sierra Rose. She looks nice too, although I'm guessing this is the model we already saw pictured on the blog. I wonder what sort of variations we'll see on her? She looks nice and rosy in the photo, but I wonder if she'll have varying degrees of rosiness. There's been speculation on whether they'll all have the white head, too. Her dapples look a tad polka-dotty, though, so I'll reserve judgement until I see one in person.

And lastly, we have the Duende, Straight Bet! His coloring certainly is rich, and I don't see any gloss issues. He looks like he has dapples, but they look a lot more subtle than Sierra Rose's. With a combination of both dapples and gloss, though, we're bound to get a few doozies. Hopefully there won't be too many! I'll definitely be trying for this guy. For how much I like his front end, I wish his rear end was a little more substantial, though.

I'm a little disappointed that they didn't have a sample of Dead Heat there, but I suppose I'll live.

I'll close with this photo from Breyer's Facebook, showing Dally and Spanky from a different angle:




Is that a Zena I see in the background? Ahhh! I must have her! I'm definitely hoping my husband gets her for my birthday next week.

That's about all I've got for today - someday maybe I'll be able to go to Breyerwest, but there honestly isn't currently a lot of incentive for me. I don't show, and we have a perfectly serviceable horse expo or two of our own within a much more reasonable drive of where I live. Maybe if Breyer offered a Breyerwest special run or two...but Albany's a bit awkward to get to by flying, so it would probably be more worthwhile to just have somebody pick it up for me if that were the case. Maybe someday!

Breyerfest Diorama Contest prize revealed!

Over the weekend, Breyer posted a hint about the prize for the Diorama Contest, but I just didn't have the time to blog about it. I was convinced the model would be Phar Lap, but of course Breyer had other plans. Here's Win, Place or Show!



Of all the potential molds Breyer could have used, this was about the last one I would have thought of. Their MO for at least the last few years has been to use an older mold for the diorama contest, so I thought Phar Lap would be a sure thing...you know, since he's a Thoroughbred, and galloping. Clearly I was wrong!

If you don't recognize the mold, that's the new Boomerang mold that was introduced at the start of last year as part of the Spirit Riding Free collection. While the color is really nice, the mold just doesn't appeal to me. I feel like I've been saying that a lot about these BF 2018 releases - the early bird raffle, the PAM, Woodford, Inari, Icabad Crane - but it's true. They keep using molds I don't collect! But I won't complain too much, because it means this year's Breyerfest might be slightly easier on my wallet. Who knows - maybe Phar Lap will pop up somewhere else!

I already wasn't planning on entering the Diorama Contest due to my lack of skills (and good ideas) - but if you are, good luck with your entry!

Featured Model - 3/24/2018, Masquerade

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...Masquerade!



This model has a long history with me - he was the first and only Connoisseur model I was drawn for until Swirling Sky in 2011 (to be fair, I stopped entering for them after I got Masquerade and eventually left the hobby for college, returning in 2010). He's a run of 350 on the Missouri Fox Trotter mold sculpted by Kathleen Moody, and was one of the last Connoisseur releases of 2001.

His pattern had always been really unique- he's one of the few decorator Conns, and Breyer seems fond of making auction models in a rainbow of colors using this pattern (including, incidentally, an actual rainbow one, which is a grail of mine). They even used it on a Stablemate! That must have been a frustrating process for the painters - hah!

I was still in high school when this model came out, and I remember excitedly discovering my name on the list of winners posted on the Breyer website. Then I had to scrape together the low, low price of $95 to buy him (this was a lot of money for a Breyer at the time, especially for a high school kid). He had a special place of honor on my shelf, and my dad sternly advised me never to play with him. Pretty sure I had stopped playing with them by then, but I don't remember for sure. Anyway, for the rest of high school he was my special, "rare and expensive" model. At the time he came out, I remember seeing one sell on eBay for $1400! Those were the days.

In those days, Conn models didn't come with the velvet bag, only their COA. So poor Masquerade here is the only Conn model of mine that doesn't have a velvet bag. Breyer should really sell some on their website so people could buy one for first-year Conns, or subsequent ones that lost their bags, for that matter.

Similar to the Lonesome Glory models, sometimes I toy with the idea of selling my MFT models. But the thought of selling Masquerade always stops me. He's one of very few models I still have from prior to my return to the hobby, and he's always been very special to me. So he gets to stay in my collection forever!

As for the MFT mold, he was last used (inexplicably enough) at the Chasing the Chesapeake event in 2016. His most recent Breyerfest appearance was as the diorama contest prize Walk of Fame in 2013. I think his last regular run appearance was as Prince Jester in 2012, and that same year he was the web special Arosa. So I'm not sure where he'll be used next - but I'm sure he'll pop up again eventually.

At least they gave us plenty of time to plan!

This year's highly-anticipated Collector Club special event, the Scottsdale Stampede, has been revealed!



And check out the event model, Phantom Face!




Excuse me while I wipe the drool off my face...

Okay, there we go. So the next collector event is in Arizona! It's happening Nov. 9-11. Unfortunately. we have to be drawn for tickets to this one again. But at least if you get drawn and have a significant other to come with you, you can buy 2 tickets. Ticket entry period is May 21 through June 3.

Taking some time to speculate about what type of models we'll see at this event, here's a quick look at the planned itinerary:

Friday, November 9th
Private cocktail reception at Western Spirit: Scottsdale's Museum of the West

Saturday, November 10th
Tour of Schmersal Reining Horses 

Tour of Rae Dawn Arabians
Lunch
Saturday Night Party at host hotel - Wild West Steampunk Costume Party!

With that itinerary, I'd expect a smattering of stock horses and Arabians - Bobby Jo, Geronimo, Weather Girl, Yasmin, etc. Of course, this is Breyer we're talking about, so it'll probably be drafts and ponies again. 

I'd definitely love to attend this event and cover it for the blog - that model is gorgeous! We'd have to fly again, which isn't necessarily a deal-breaker. Things look tentatively good for us right now - it'll depend on whether either of us can get drawn for a ticket. We'll be crossing our fingers for sure!

Gettysburg is here!

Surprise surprise, Gettysburg has arrived! I wasn't drawn for him at first (but then got pulled from the waitlist), and managed to find one at cost from a kind Blabber. Here he is!



I really like this model! His color is really nice - I like how he isn't just gray all over, but has lighter areas in his mane and tail and lots of shading, and of course his white foot (though I personally would have liked to see a blaze or star, but that's just nitpicking).



I love the stripey, contrasting areas in his mane. He's beautiful! His dapples aren't as soft as some of the other models I've seen photos of, but I can live with that.



Too bad they weren't a bit more subtle, as they definitely have that chicken-wire look going on. Oh well. Here's his face!

His eyes are nicely detailed! He does look like he's got something going on with the tip of that left ear, but otherwise I didn't see anything wrong with his quality (other than the dapples, but that was a foregone conclusion). So, into the collection he goes! Or rather, he'll probably just go into a box, because we're moving again next month (we're buying a house! Yay!). I can't wait to see what web special we get next!

Our next special run is Sierra Rose!

The PAM special run is revealed - meet Sierra Rose!



From the blog:

Sierra Rose was named for the picturesque Sierra Nevada Mountains, where the Tevis Cup is held annually. The Tevis Cup is a 100-mile long endurance ride that lasts a full 24 hours and has been taking place annually since 1955. The riders in this competition traverse the Sierra Nevada Mountains in their quest to win this legendary endurance competition. Sierra Rose's beautiful rose grey coloring reminded us of the stunning sunsets in Sierra Nevadas.

I thought Breyer would use an older mold in the lineup, but I (and a lot of other people) didn't see the PAM coming. She's beautiful! And she actually has something to do with the theme (Endurance racing tends to favor Arabians)!

Alas, I ran out of shelf space and sold off the few PAMs I had a few years ago. So this pretty girl won't be joining my herd, but she sure looks nice. I wonder if they'll do a matte/glossy split on her?

Before the advent of Farah in 2015's Vintage Club, I would have been skeptical of ever seeing the PAM in anything other than a very limited release, due to the licensing issue with Hagen-Renaker. But as we've seen, Breyer has been using more and more old Love molds over the last few years, so clearly they've managed to get over the licensing hump. Probably just a case of sighing and paying the fee. And we get to see new releases on old molds out of it, so that's a good thing, right?

That's not a clue! That's a full-blown reveal!

Today's Breyerfest blog "hint" is a bit of a rarity...they're showing us the silhouette! It's a PAM!



I wonder what sort of special run she will be? The special run line itself, or perhaps a raffle model? And what color will she be? I hope we don't have to wait until Friday to find out - that's a long time! At least we don't have to spend the whole time hemming and hawing about what mold it might be.

Featured Model - 3/17/2018, Best in Show Arabian

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 Classic Best in Show Arabian!



This model was introduced in 2009 as part of Breyer's Best in Show line, which featured Classic-sized models that sported mohair manes and tails and glass eyes, along with painted horseshoes and a little base to stand on. It was a regular run model (#901), and although IDYB doesn't have info on the sculptor, I seem to remember reading somewhere that it was sculpted by Kathleen Moody.

This was certainly an ambitious undertaking by Breyer (and not a particularly successful one, as we haven't seen any more models in this vein other than the do-it-yourself kits). Mohair has its fans, but hairing models mostly went out of fashion years ago. I can see why people wouldn't like the mohair: it looks like it'd be a pain to keep styled the way you want it, plus it'd be a huge dust magnet (and personally, I just think it's ugly. Same goes for flocky models: ugh). I've seen photos of people's haired models on shelves with plastic bags over them to keep the dust off, but that kind of setup makes me question why you'd even want a haired model. Whatever floats your boat, I guess.

So why do I own this model if I don't like mohair manes and tails, you may wonder? Well, as I wrote about in a previous Featured Model, I only started collecting this mold last year after Marigold's debut, and yes, at first I had no plans on adding this particular one to my collection because of the mohair.  But then I started looking at prices on eBay, and well...the models in this series can be obtained pretty cheaply. So I bought one.

He really isn't that bad - his paint job is pretty nice, at least. He definitely has that '80s-style big hair - I named him Fluffy because of it! It'll be interesting to see how the mohair job ages, and his glass eyes are definitely, shall we say, "intense." But that just gives him more character, I guess.

I do like the mold, even if the regular plastic mane it would later be given makes me want to snap it off every time I see it (it just sticks out in a really enticing way). Hopefully we see a fun new release on the mold soon; the fact that it was used at Breyerfest last year gives me hope that we'll see it used for something else soon!

2018 Stablemates are here!

Greetings, readers! In lieu of more exciting things to talk about this week, I'm going to talk about some of the new for 2018 Stablemate models. I've been trying to cut back on purchases lately, so the only 2018 releases I've gotten have been Stablemates. Behold!

I'm a bit short on time today, so I don't have very many photos of these. But they include a couple of the new Stablemates Single Assortment models, the stallion and foal from one of the new Mystery Foal sets, and the TWH, Cantering Warmblood, Django and Andalusian from the new blind bag assortment.



I think they're all really nice, but the standout here is, of course, the Django. His color is very metallic and attractive, and it makes everything else look dull by comparison (except maybe the buckskin Andalusian).

As usual, I wish Django's sculpt had been adapted to plastic a little better - he looks so stunning from either side that it's sad to see how narrow he is. Plus, he's just a tad out of scale compared to other Stablemates. Friesians are big, but not that big.

That said, I do like the color on the buckskin Andalusian as well - it's more of a buttermilk shade. And the perlino foal is so cute! The Icelandic is a little plain - I'd like to see some white on him, but that's a small nitpick. And the black pinto rearing Arabian is like a budget version of Oscar.

Sadly, I wasn't lucky enough to get a copper Django from the 8 blind bags I ordered, so I'm still on the hunt for him. Hopefully his price comes down eventually.

As for the quality on these, I didn't see anything majorly wrong with them, which was nice. I hope the Spirit Series 2 blind bags are as nice!

Featured Model - 3/10/2018, Quelle Surprise

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...Quelle Surprise in perlino!



This model was one of the surprise models from Breyerfest 2015 (Vive la France!). As item #711220, he was the most desirable color from that year (easy to see why!) and was a run of 280 on the Lonesome Glory mold sculpted by Kitty Cantrell.

I remember when I found out who the volunteer model was - I was in the middle of volunteering during one of Morgen's sculpting classes when she announced it to the class. So I got to hear a chorus of little kids going, "Ooooooh!" when they found out the surprise. Definitely a fun moment! That was also the first year I was able to get the "hot" surprise color directly from the special run line. Too bad I couldn't get a glossy perlino too! Maybe someday I'll find one for a good price.

Sometimes I toy with the idea of selling my Lonesome Glory models, but the thought of selling this guy stops me every time. He's definitely my favorite of the LGs in my collection (I only have about 10). Other models I really like on this mold are the ones I don't have: Paparazzi, Goin' for Gold, the charcoal volunteer model, Mirror Image/Reflector, Mosaic, etc.

But Tinseltown and Woodland Splendor are fun models, too. Maybe someday I'll be able to add those rarer guys to my collection - in the meantime, I wonder why this mold has never been used for a web special? I mean, he's always been a popular mold, and he got a double JAH special run and two Connoisseur releases. Come on, Breyer!

I wouldn't be surprised to see him pop up at this year's Breyerfest either, with the racing theme and all. Probably as a prize or something, since he was the surprise model so recently. I mean, I wouldn't say no to seeing him in the special run line - it just seems unlikely. But we'll have to wait and see! In the meantime, I'll enjoy looking at my perlino Quelle Surprise.

We have our elk!

The puzzle solution has been officially revealed - it's an elk! Meet Inari!



I like his name! And his color is nice, too. All the same, I don't collect animal molds, so I won't be buying him.

From the website:

Inari is named after the area in northern Finland where the Reindeer Racing Championships are held and have been taking place since 1959, though the races have been happening all over Finland since 1932. Competitors in this thrilling sport are pulled by these massive creatures while on skis - surely a sight to behold!

So, everyone that thought this was a reference to reindeer racing, give yourselves a pat on the back!

I wonder if they'll do a matte/glossy split on this guy? I bet he'd look really nice in gloss. Last year's cow, Diwali, was glossy, so there's precedent.

So, that's our mysterious animal mold unveiled. I can't wait to see what they show us next! 

Unexpected Tractor Supply SRs!

So, there are a couple of new, unannounced special runs showing up at Tractor Supply stores across the country. One is a rich, dark bay Clydesdale Mare named Alba, and the other is a new (Classic) America's Wild Mustangs set featuring the new Harper mold in "sandy bay" and the Trotting Stock Horse Foal in grulla. Behold!



My husband stopped at our closest Tuesday Morning on his way home from work yesterday, and voila! They had the new special runs.

Unfortunately, I didn't think to have him take a picture of the Clyde Mare, so I don't have a photo of that one. Fortunately, Identify Your Breyer has us covered!

I think she's gorgeous! I no longer collect the Clydesdale Mare, though, so I didn't have my husband grab one. I think she looks like a matte (and more obtainable) Del Mar! Gorgeous.

As for the mare and foal, of course I had to have the Harper. Color me surprised at her description on the box, which says she's "sandy bay." I know there are some shades of bay out there that can look like buckskin, but I'd swear this girl is really a buckskin. Oh well. Here's a closeup of her face!

She was pretty nice with regards to quality - no box rubs or any other major issues, though I did notice she's got some extra plastic on the end of her nose, and her muzzle isn't painted all that well. No biggie! And here's a picture of the foal.

I'm going to sell him, so I left him in the box. Nice color, though! He manages to be grulla without looking exactly like all of the other grulla models Breyer has done over the past couple of years.

These releases kind of beg the question of whether these are the usual TSC special runs, which usually debut in the fall. Will we get two more models later this year, or are these it for the year? If the latter, it's at least nice that we didn't have to wait until August to find out about them...but gives us a couple fewer things to look forward to in the latter part of the year.

Oh well! Not only did we get a nice surprise, but I managed to get my hands on the model I wanted the same day I found out about it, which doesn't usually happen. Now I just have to get Day Dreamer, and my Harper collection will be more-or-less complete!

Clara and Mae are now available for purchase!

Good news, everyone! Or just...news. Clara and Mae, the second release in the 2018 Vintage Club, are now available on the website!



Unfortunately, this set is already rather notoriously unpopular, and I'm not looking forward to trying to sell my pair. It's going to be just about impossible to get my money back on these, I think. Not that Breyer shouldn't have used them; they're about as vintage as you can get. But the molds just aren't very popular. I remember seeing Cream and Cocoa leftovers in the Breyer Store for years after they came out. There might have still been some of them there last year! Which is a shame, because those were nice colors too, and a clever idea.

This release should have had everything going for it; it's glossy and the color is nice. Which makes it even more sad that they've been so much of a flop.

Interestingly enough, while I don't collect either of these molds, I think I still have an old knockoff of the Grazing Mare floating around somewhere. I don't have a photo of her, but I always thought she was a knockoff because I don't think she had a Breyer stamp and her plastic seemed more like ABS than cellulose acetate.

Hopefully I can unload this set for a not-too-terrible price - and I hope the vintage-colored Weather Girl at the end of this is worth it.

New Breyerfest clue!

...Or, "clue," I should say, because it's not that hard to figure out what it is...

I don't have the time or energy to assemble that myself. Fortunately, the work has already been done by other intrepid hobbyists - it's an elk!

Some of the speculators on Blab thought this year's animal might be a moose. Close, I guess - but apparently reindeer racing is a thing in Finland?



It'll be interesting to see where they go with this special run!  

Gettysburg!

Greetings, everyone! We already have our next web special release - Gettysburg!



While I love Goffert, I wonder why they used another dapple gray for the second release in the series? No matter which way you slice it, he's always going to draw comparisons to Wailua. He does have darker points than Wailua did, though, and he isn't glossy of course.

From the website:

Gettysburg's dark dapple grey coat pays homage to the many hues of grey present in Gettysburg National Military Park: from the stone monuments and memorials, to the iron artillery. His belly is marked with "Gettysburg 2018," and he comes with a clear base.

Ah, shades of gray, that makes sense...I guess.

Enter to win him here! He's a run of 350, as usual, and costs $175. Hope I get drawn!

Spirit Blind Bags Series 2!

I think we wondered about this last year, but now we have photos - there's a Series 2 of the Spirit Blind Bags! I'm really late with this post, but better late than never. Here they are!




Woo, I like those! Too bad I only collect four of the molds. I'll need the G2 Clydesdale and Warmblood, the G3 Cantering Warmblood and the Andalusian. It's a bit odd that the Andalusian is such a similar color to his other blind bag counterpart - this one is based on a character from a TV show, but you'd think they'd have made the other blind bag one a different color.  I'm guessing the "chase piece" is the G3 Mustang, since it's the silhouette? I wonder if it will be gold like the previous Golden Spirit or a different color? Hopefully these ship soon so we can see what they are.

Featured Model - 3/3/2018, Paddyngton's Mark of Distinction

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: Paddyngton's Mark of Distinction!



This model was produced on the American Saddlebred Stallion mold, sculpted by Kathleen Moody, and was a store special at Breyerfest 2014. He was a run of 750 and is item #711194.

I like this model because he's like an updated version of Chubasco (who, incidentally, was the grandsire of the real horse this model is a portrait of). He also has a mark on his side that looks vaguely like an iguana! Cool stuff. As I mentioned earlier, this model is a portrait of the real Paddyngton (or Marcus, his barn name). Here's a shot of him at Breyerfest 2015:

He's definitely a beautiful guy! And his model certainly does him justice. 2014 was the same year Novelisto D was a store special, and although Novelisto was definitely the hottest item in the store that year, Marcus was also popular enough to sell out - just not as fast. He's definitely among my favorite Moody ASBs, and won't be going anywhere anytime soon!

The Moody ASB is also one of my favorite molds, and was last used as Patriot, the 2016 Limited Edition. Somehow I doubt we'll see him at Breyerfest this year, but maybe we'll see him as a web special or some other special run, or even a mid-year regular run. Or perhaps at Breyer's mythical collector event later in the year? Time will tell. 

Xavier throw blanket has arrived!

Way back in the dark days of pre-Christmas collector appreciation sales, you may remember that Breyer offered a gift of a free glossy model if you spent $125 or more on the website. This is, of course, an excellent way to clear the warehouse of leftover stock, but apparently it's also a way to low-key debut new products. Two of these new products were plush throw blankets - one with the promo photo of Desatado on it, and the other with a picture of Xavier, the unicorn.

Although the throw blanket was a bit spendy at $40, when buying things from the website I generally prefer to get things I actually want, so I pulled the trigger. Unfortunately, the blankets went into backorder status almost immediately and mine didn't arrive with the rest of my order. Last week I sent Breyer an email wondering where these mythical blankets were, and I was assured they would be shipped out this week! So, fast-forward to today and a surprisingly heavy box arrived at my door! Behold the awesomeness:



It's like Breyer knew I have a weakness for throw blankets and unicorns. I think I see a rainbow behind Xavier as well, and you all know (or should know) my thoughts about rainbow anything by now. So this throw is getting happily added to my blanket pile! Definitely worth the purchase.

The Saturday Raffle model is...

Woodford! (Heh. They didn't name him Flash like I thought they would, but at least they used it in his description.) Check this guy out!



He's definitely pretty, despite (insert griping about mold not fitting the theme here).

Okay. Now that I got that out of the way, he's definitely the nicest release I've seen yet on the Shannondell mold. That doesn't mean I'd keep him if I won - there are plenty of other raffle models I'd love to own, and I don't collect Shannondell. Maybe someday they'll put this color on a more attainable model? He does look really similar to Kaibab, but I don't collect the Stretch Morgan either. I'll just have to hope they use this color again on a mold I do collect!