Featured Model - 9/29/2018, Sundance

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...Sundance!



I picked Sundance for this week because he looks like a budget version of Phantom Face and I'm still feeling sorry for myself for not being drawn to attend Scottsdale Stampede. Woe is me, etc.

Definitely drop me a line if you know where I can get a Phantom Face for a not-ridiculous price, though!

Anyway, this model was produced in 2007 in his one and only appearance in the Breyerfest special run line (though he's been a raffle model twice). He's item #711057 on the Nokota mold sculpted by Kathleen Moody.

Despite his overabundance of hair, the Nokota is one of my favorite molds, and this color looks pretty good on him. I wonder if Scottsdale Stampede attendees will get a new Nokota? He's been used at a couple of other collector events already, but I can't see Breyer passing up the chance to use one of their most popular mustang molds at a Western-themed event.

As for other upcoming Nokota appearances, he was a web special last year and appeared as this year's patriotic special run model. I wouldn't be surprised to see him at next year's Breyerfest - it seems like he's due to appear there in some fashion, and there's been a surprising lack of Moody molds at the last few Breyerfests. Hopefully he shows up in an attainable fashion, if he does make an appearance!

Virgil is here!

Hello, readers! In lieu of anything else to post about, my Virgil finally arrived yesterday! After a trip to our old apartment building to pick him up (the box didn't get forwarded to our house for some reason), here he is!



He's so pretty! Look at his cute little horn. He really works well as a unicorn - now if only Breyer would come out with a full-size companion for him!

I'm not sure if Breyer was going for a glossy finish with this guy or not - his show side is more semigloss, but his off side definitely looks glossy.



Quality-wise, he's...okay. There's a weird line at the top of his shoulder in the above photo that almost looks like a failed attempt at marbling. He doesn't seem to have it anywhere else except in a spot at the base of his mane on the other side of his neck, so I'm not sure what happened there.



He also sheds glitter from his glittery areas, oddly enough. I was surprised by that because usually Breyer seals that stuff on there pretty well. Maybe it's different for their Christmas ornaments.

 He's still cute from a distance, though! Only a few more weeks until I can hang him on our Christmas tree!

Also, I'm a little perplexed about his name. It's not really the name I would give a mystical unicorn. I think maybe Jasper and Virgil should have had their names switched. Wikipedia says jasper can be blue (rarely), and that almost fits this guy! Maybe I'll just call this guy Jasper in my head.

Alejandro is here!

Exciting news today! Thanks to the generosity of a fellow Blabber, I was able to get my hands on an Alejandro! Behold!

For some reason I'd gotten it into my head that he was glossy, so I was a little disappointed to see he's matte. But he does have a little bit of shimmer to his paint, which is nice. And I love his paint job! His flaming mane and tail make an excellent contrast to the rest of his body.

Although I really like the way this guy turned out, I'm disgruntled that his mane braids aren't painted. This makes 3 out of 4 releases with this mane that didn't have the braids painted. If you can't even paint them for a 3,000-piece run (or 1,250, in Dag Dia's case), what's the point of having them? Will they ever be painted again? Just retool them out of the mold and call it a day -- because as it is now, they might as well not even be there. Bleh. Wouldn't turquoise have gone well with his mane color?



Quality-wise he's not bad - his dapples could have been more subtle, and he has a few lint spots here and there. His eyes are weird, though; at first glance, it looks like they're just sloppily painted, but on closer inspection it looks like they tried to outline his eyes with the same black as the rest of the eye and it just looks weird.

All in all, though, he's a worthy addition to the collection - as long as I don't dwell too much on his unpainted braids. We'll forever be wondering what could have been...

Website Revamp Shenanigans

Looks like Breyer finally decided to redo their website. The last time they did a major update was back in 2011, so it was definitely time for a facelift. I'm not sure I like it, though...people complained about the list of links on the side of the page, but I never had a problem with it. Now everything is spread out in those dropdown menus and well...it's taking some getting used to.

So if you get an email from Breyer about activating your account, it's legit. It also takes some poking around in the website to find things like Club Home. They're also already selling membership renewasl for 2019, but I'm not going to buy it just yet. It's not like I'm not going to join for next year, but I want some incentive first...like a preview of next year's Collector Club special run, for instance (since it doesn't appear we're getting a second one this year).

This could also explain the almost complete dearth of news lately - they've been working on the website redesign and haven't wanted to release much of anything new until they get all the bugs worked out. That would be my assumption, anyway.

Hopefully this means they can get back to business as usual soon. I mean, there will be bugs with the new system - there always are. But I wouldn't think it would take them too long to get those fixed and then we'll be golden! I'm waiting for my Vintage Club Weather Girl, Breyer! Don't make me wait too much longer!

Featured Model - 9/22/2018, Indigo

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...Indigo!



This guy was one of the four brand-new Stablemate molds introduced at Breyerfest 2013. All four were in high demand, but the only two I wanted were Indigo and Chrome. I was able to acquire Chrome fairly quickly after Breyerfest, but Indigo eluded me until last year's Breyerfest! He's item #711158 on the G4 Icelandic mold sculpted by Jane Lunger, and 1,250 were produced.

I really like this little guy, probably because he's blue - and such a nice shade of blue! I love his black points too, and he's glossy to boot.  Someone at Breyer must have really liked his design, because a very similar one later showed up on Sherman Morgan at 2014's Big Easy Bash collector event. I don't own Crescent City, but wish I did! I remember seeing a photo of Indigo and Crescent City and almost drooling with envy.

As for the Icelandic mold, he's seen quite a bit of use lately - he's in the regular line in at least three different ways, and he's also the chase piece for the Series 2 Blind Bags people have been finding at Walmart. Last year he was the gambler's choice model for the Stablemate Club, so that's a lot of new colors on him in just the last couple of years! Due to that, I don't see him being used for anything else (except maybe showing up in a Suncatcher Stablemates set somewhere down the road), but who knows - maybe we'll see him at this year's Scottsdale Stampede. I can't wait to see where he pops up next!

Kids' Halloween Grab Bags!

What a shock - I have something new to post! Talk about a bad month for news...well, at least I have something to post today: Kids' Halloween grab bags!



Despite my disinterest in grab bags, I'm mildly tempted to buy one just to see what I'd get, especially if there was actually something Halloween-themed in it. Do they have leftover Goblins from last year? That might be fun, although I already have one.

I'm also going to need to buy a Sprocket for my son at some point, so if that was guaranteed to show up, I'd maybe think about getting a grab bag. It's not on clearance yet, though, so I doubt he'd show up anyway.

But, as always, good luck to everyone who buys! It'll be interesting to see what's in the bags on this round.

Jasper and Boone!

More exciting news! Our local Tractor Supply finally stocked its holiday Breyer selection! I'll start with Boone:

I'm not planning on buying one, so there's just the one photo of him. Doesn't he look a lot like Salpicado? I guess he's different enough to tell them apart at a glance, but I still thought it was interesting. I've thought about starting a Ranch Horse conga off and on, but it just hasn't happened yet. I like his head, but not his weird pose.

Anyway, next we have Jasper! Check him out! (The weird pattern is from the window screen behind him).

I love his shading and his white socks!

I'm so glad Breyer gave this guy plenty of white markings. I'm still a little salty about Two Step and his almost complete lack of any white!

The only nitpick I have is that his name doesn't really strike me as a "western" name. I'd have gone with Durango, or Dude or something. Maybe Breyer ran out of name ideas.



All in all, though, he's still a worthy addition to the collection! I'm just glad our Tractor Supply has him in stock - we stopped at a different TSC today and there was no sign of their holiday Breyer display anywhere. Weird!

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

Featured Model - 9/15/2018, Gretel

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 provide commentary about it! This week's model is...Gretel!



This pretty girl was a special run for Breyerfest 2011, along with her foal Hansel. They were item #711133 on the Haflinger Mare and Foal molds sculpted by Brigitte Eberl. 800 sets were produced.

This set was a rare anomaly, as Classic-size stuff has only appeared at Breyerfest a handful of times. The Classic line just isn't as popular as the Traditionals for some reason, so they don't tend to show up in the special run line very often.

Either way, though, this girl is pretty! I'm not sure what color you'd call that - a really dark silver bay, maybe? She has a pearly mane and tail, which means I'll love her forever. The funny thing is, I was initially ambivalent to this mold, and didn't really decide I liked them until she and her foal were released as unicorns later. I gotta collect those unicorns!

Since Gretel's Breyerfest debut with Hansel, the two molds have been used a number of times. Most of these releases were as mare and foal sets, but they show up without each other every once in a while. Gretel's most recent appearance in the Breyer lineup was as one half of the Fiona and Rory set from last year. She is also in the regular run Classics line on her own as a bay pinto pony and as part of the Dartmoor Pony set (the set is still in production according to IDYB).

Where will Gretel show up next? I'm hoping for an appearance at Breyerfest next year, honestly. But if Breyer decides to use her sooner than that, I'd be okay with it. I think her current releases would probably need to be retired first for her to have another release in the regular run line - but that's definitely something that could still happen, since we haven't seen this year's retired list yet. Either way, whenever she does get a new release, I'll be there! Well, hopefully.

FINALLY!

After what seems like an eternity with no news (seriously, I think the last few weeks have been worse than the January/February Breyerfest doldrums...), I have something new to announce - this year's Halloween Classic! Say hello to...Bogeyman?

I'm...not sure about this one, honestly. Let's take a look at her other side.



From the website:

Breyer’s 2018 Classics Halloween Horse features electric-colored “slime” dripping along her back and running down her sides, as well as on her socks. To make the colors really pop she was given a pearly base, which gives the colors a great sheen!

It probably doesn't help that I'm already not a fan of this mold, but that design is just...ugh. Nothing I need to buy - which is good! A penny saved is a penny spent on other models earned, as I always say.

So I'll have to pass on this one. There's some commentary on Blab along the lines of how the model should have been named Ectoplasm, and I could get behind that. Still wouldn't buy the model, but I think Ectoplasm would have fit the slime theme better.

Nevermore is here!

Good news, everyone! I have a small nugget of information in the current dead zone that is Breyer news - my Nevermore is finally here! Behold!

Sorry for the poor lighting - she's just a tad pinker in real life. I love her! Normally I'm not into pink, but she's a really nice shade of what I guess you'd call "rose," with lots of pearly in her finish! She reminds me of lip gloss, actually.

The Edgar Allan Poe theme is a welcome departure from the norm, too. Somewhere I have an omnibus edition of Poe's more famous works, and seeing this model makes me want to read it again. She's a great design, and check out this cool skull on her butt!

I love it! She's definitely one of the better Halloween designs from the last few years. I can't remember if I mentioned it here before, but she was designed by Lauren Hoeffer, who designed last year's Calavera, among other things. She's definitely doing good work!

Unfortunately, as you can probably see in some of the pictures, the design didn't translate over to the models as well as it probably could have. They painted these models with a stencil, and it's definitely apparent in some of the smeared lines and edges of the markings.

I definitely think it would have worked better had these been masked, but maybe that wasn't possible since some of the lines are so thin.



I'm sure it couldn't have been easy to avoid smears with details this fine, and if they'd used decals people would be complaining about wrinkles. So they did the best they could with what they had. Either way. though, it's a beautiful design and I hope Lauren keeps designing stuff for Breyer!

This dearth of news from Breyer is getting really tiring! I wonder if anything new and exciting will pop up this week? I certainly hope so. It's been a boring last few weeks - hopefully we get something soon!

Featured Model - 9/8/2018, Glossy Decorator Samba 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...the glossy decorator Samba Surprise!



This guy was one of the six possible models one could get when buying the Samba Surprise special run line item at Breyerfest 2016. He's item #711238 and was issued on the popular Esprit mold sculpted by Kathleen Moody. He's one of only 149 produced!

I was lucky enough to pull this guy directly from the special run line in 2016. He's definitely special! 2016 was the first time since 2009 that we had a decorator as one of the possible options. I really like the color scheme Breyer picked for this model - he's got lots of gold, rose/pink and green, but the colors are soft enough that he doesn't look gaudy. Add that to his "dancing" pose and I thought he fit the Carnaval theme really well!

As for the Esprit mold itself, I think I've featured him on the blog at least twice before. So I'm not sure how much more I can gush about him - but I can say I don't think he'll be used again soon. He popped up last year as the surprise Not-Silver-Filigree-Holiday-Web-Special. Add that to his bombastic Breyerfest appearance and I'm thinking Breyer will probably give him a rest for a while - but I could be wrong! Maybe we'll see him at the Scottsdale Stampede in November? I hope not, since I don't get to go. I guess we'll have to wait and see!

Quoth the raven, "Nevermore!"

In lieu of more exciting news from Breyer...(excuse me while I stare silently in their direction), I was excited to find out my Nevermore was shipped today! She's due to arrive Monday. People have been posting in-hand photos of her all over the Internets, so I'm excited to get mine!

Alejandro and Verdades have also been arriving in stores! If only Alejandro would arrive at a store near me...oh well. I'm sure I'll find one eventually. In the meantime, I can't wait to see my Nevermore!

Breyerwest 2019 is confirmed!

Talk about a slow news week, huh? Well, at least we have something exciting to look forward to - Breyerwest 2019 is official! According to Facebook, next year's Breyerwest will take place March 22-24 in its usual location - Albany, OR in conjunction with the Northwest Horse Fair and Expo. Exciting! I wonder if there'll be a special run this time? I hope not, because I'd have to have someone do a pickup for me. Some year I might be able to attend, but it's definitely not happening next year. It's definitely on my bucket list!

Featured Model - 9/1/2018, Tesoro de Oro

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! In honor of Thursday's Alejandro reveal, this week's model is...Tesoro de Oro!



(Throwback to when I still used the white backdrop!)

Tesoro de Oro was the second Collector Club special run for 2014. As item #712132, he was a run of 1,000 produced on the...Gypsy Vanner? Laredo? Something else? Well, whatever. He was sculpted by Kathleen Moody, and boy howdy, you should have seen the kerfuffle when he was first introduced!

Okay, I admit this version of the mold does have noodly legs (among other problems), but I like him anyway. Of course, being a Moody sculpt, he has oodles of hair, but this guy is a little different from the norm - he has braids in his mane! We don't usually see a lot of that kind of stuff nowadays. Of course, not every model gets those sorts of details, so poor Tesoro's braids aren't painted. It would have been nice if they were, since he did get the horseshoe treatment, but Breyer must not have thought it worth the effort.

I do really like this guy's color; that gold buckskin treatment is so striking! Plus he's glossy! Definitely a win-win.

Until Alejandro was announced, Tesoro de Oro was the only time this combination of mold parts had been used in this configuration, after its debut as Laredo in 2013 (not counting last year's auction model, which was probably left over from one of those two production runs). Like I said on Thursday, not long ago I was thinking about this model and wondered when they'd use it again, and voila! A new release, finally! I wonder if he'll pop up in other places, too? Surely they'll have some whiteware left over, right? Maybe we'll get a web special, too! Although I would hope his braids are painted if that ends up being the case.

Which reminds me - we don't yet know if Alejandro's braids are painted, since Breyer didn't see fit to provide us with a photo of his off side. I hope they are, though! Teal or some type of blue would look nice with his mane! Hopefully we don't have to wait too long to find out.