Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Huzzah! A mare and foal set for Breyerfest!

Amid all the doom and gloom, we got a special run reveal from Breyer today!



Say hello to Brighid and Beltane! (I foresee a lot of name-butchering later when it comes time for people to sell their extras...) As I thought, it's a Rhian and Cadell set! From the blog:

Brighid, named after the ancient Irish goddess associated with springtime, fertility, and healing, keeps a close watch on her little foal, Beltane, named for the festival marking the start of the summer pastoral season in the Celtic calendar. These two cuties look poised to take a dance around the Maypole together, don’t they?  Happy Spring!

They certainly are cute! I love the color on the mare. As usual, I can take or leave the foal, but I do like his two-tone tail. Let's hope that if Breyerfest is canceled, we can at least buy these on the website afterward, because I like them a lot...

On the subject of Breyerfest, the first ticket mailing has now been delayed until April 13. I don't think this is a good sign for the event going forward, but I suppose they could just be trying to be cautious... All the same, I have a feeling we won't be heading back to Kentucky until 2021 (or never, if the country goes into another depression...).

Saturday, March 28, 2020

Featured Model - 3/28/2020, Darley

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...Darley!














This model was the new mold introduced at the end of the 2018 Stablemates Club. What a looker! He's item #712250 and was sculpted by Tabatha Pack.

I wasn't all that crazy about this model when we'd only seen the whiteware version, but it just goes to show that the right paint job (or any paint job) makes all the difference! I love his gulastra plume - hopefully we see that on more models in the future. He definitely has a lot of character - it's a little confusing as to what he's doing exactly, but if you think of it as "playful Arabian stallion goofing around," it makes a little more sense.

As for Darley, he made his 2019 debut at Breyerfest, in the 30th Anniversary Stablemate Set! He's now being used in the new Deluxe Horse Collection, which was the replacement for the long-running shadowbox set. I haven't obtained one of these sets yet myself - I've heard rumblings on the Internets about the models falling out of the plastic packaging and winding up in a pile at the bottom of the box, so I was figuring I'd try to handpick a set at Breyerfest. Not sure how that will go with the all-but-certain cancellation of Breyerfest, but I guess I can hope.

Where will we see Darley next? Maybe a mid-year Stablemates release? We haven't seen any of the Breyerfest Stablemates yet, so it's moderately likely he'll pop up there. Otherwise, we'll just have to hope for next year!

Friday, March 27, 2020

Another sneak peek!

As the blog says: another day, another sneak peek...



What could it be? I'm still waiting to see a Rhian and Cadell set, so that's going to be my guess. Hope we find out soon!

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

The Diorama Contest prize is revealed!

Monday's sneak peek has been revealed - it's Feis, the Breyerfest diorama contest prize!



Pretty, but not my cup of tea. From the blog:

A Feis (pronounced fesh) is a traditional Gaelic arts and cultural festival that commonly includes Irish dance competitions. Feiseanna are held all around the world these days, and if you’d like to get a taste for yourself, you’ll be able to see students from the Bluegrass Ceili Academy performing at BreyerFest this summer!

Well...if we're really lucky, maybe we'll get to see those students perform. The way things are now, I suspect we'll be watching videos of them instead....

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

New Sneak Peek, and Bad News for Seattle-goers...

I'll get the bad news out of the way first - the email went out earlier today that the Seattle Soiree has been cancelled. Unfortunate, but with the Covid-19 crisis not showing any signs of slowing down, it's probably for the best. According to the would-be attendees, Breyer is offering them two options: get a full refund on their tickets and have priority for tickets to the next collector event (whenever that is), or choose to receive their ticket models and then enter a lottery to purchase the boutique models for the event. I'm guessing most people will get the ticket models and enter the lottery. Anyone want to sell me a Redmond?

In other news, there's a new Breyerfest sneak peek on the blog:



I still think Breyerfest is likely to be cancelled, so I'm holding off on my excitement. However, prevailing opinion on the Internets is that this is a Bouncer. I wouldn't necessarily say no to a new Bouncer, but a Rhian/Cadell set still hasn't materialized, so....yeah...kinda wondering where that is.

Saturday, March 21, 2020

Featured Model - 3/21/20, High Tide

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...High Tide!



This unique model is one of the new releases for 2020! I got him a few weeks ago and wanted to feature him on the blog! He's item #62212 on the Malik mold sculpted by Sarah Mink.

I've definitely seen a lot of variation in the finish for these models - some of them have less silver, others have more, while some have fewer spots, or more, or differences in the size of the spots. The technique used to paint these means there will always be a lot of variations, so it's fun to see all the differences between them. At first I was a little iffy about whether I liked this guy, but once I got him in hand I liked him a lot more.

I like Malik because he's so different from a typical Classics model with the over-the-top hair. I thought that kind of stuff was reserved for Moody sculpts, but clearly I was wrong! I wonder how they'll use him next? I don't anticipate him being a Breyerfest model this year, but maybe he'll be a gambler's choice on the website, or a Halloween model. I'm sure he'll have plenty of regular run releases in the near future too, if we can wait that long! I don't think we've heard what this year's glossy Classics model (for the live show giveaways) is yet, so maybe it's a glossy Malik? That would be pretty cool.

Friday, March 20, 2020

Sunchaser and Starlight are here!

Hark, a ray of sunshine in these dark times! My Sunchaser and Starlight models are here. Okay, Sunchaser has been here for a few days, but I wanted to wait until Starlight got here so I could put them both into one post. So, let's start with Sunchaser!


Not a whole lot to say about Sunchaser that hasn't already been said - I like his color a lot better than some of the previous releases in the club, but I hope they do some different, more-complicated paint jobs in the future.


At least he's relatively flaw-free! The glitter encrustation on his mane and tail don't seem to be as bad as previous releases, though I'd prefer to see the glitter go away completely. I forgot to take a picture of his matching Saddlebred counterpart, but it won't stand up anyway, so you're not really missing much.

So, let's take a look at Starlight!


I was excited to see this girl after all the photos I've seen online, and she doesn't disappoint!


As usual, she's huge - I like her flying tail and everything, but part of me wishes it wasn't quite so long. I'm pretty sure she's the longest Breyer model I've ever had - maybe that's why Zena was discontinued so soon, because she's just so LONG! 














I didn't see any flaws on her either, other than the usual mane/tail overspray. I wonder if that was done on purpose, to emulate the flaws of yesteryear? Heh heh.  If I were inclined to nitpick, I'd want her muzzle to be a little darker, but it's not a dealbreaker. She can join her sisters on the shelf (and already has). I hope everyone else likes their Starlights just as much! 

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Goji selections are out, two St. Patty's sneak peeks, and a note about COVID-19

Greetings, readers! As of yesterday afternoon, the selections for Goji have been made, so check your email and/or the website! Congratulations to all the winners - I didn't enter for him, so there won't be one heading in this direction!

In other news, Breyer posted the Breyerfest surprise model "reveal" on the blog today for St. Patrick's Day! Behold!



From the blog:

You know we can’t reveal this one – we can’t even give you a hint!  All we can say is that Sláinte is how the Irish say “cheers” and we know you’ll be cheering when you unwrap this beauty at BreyerFest.

Cheers, eh? Well, the Croi mold looks like she could be cheering, so I'm staying with that guess for now.

Edited to add: there's another sneak peek in the March collector club newsletter! Observe:



Ooh, maybe something with the Prism color scheme, like I just talked about on Saturday? I hope so!

Also, unless you've been living under a rock for the past few months, you've probably heard about the COVID-19 virus that's been circulating the globe. There's been a lot of online speculation about whether Breyerfest and the Seattle Soiree will be postponed or cancelled, and I wanted to give my two cents on the issue. Personally...with the news that the Land Rover Kentucky three-day event has been cancelled, and the delay of the Kentucky Derby to September....I don't think it's looking good for the Seattle Soiree being able to go on as scheduled. Best case scenario, it's postponed - but that means everyone who attends would have to reschedule their flights, hotels, work schedules, etc. Unfortunately, I think that's the best we can hope for. The federal government now recommends that gatherings be limited to no more than 10 people; while Washington has been limiting events to 250 people, I think it's entirely possible that they shut down large gatherings altogether.

So, the Seattle Soiree probably won't happen as scheduled. How will people get their plastic ponies? The Redmond and Stablemate models could be mailed to the people that were supposed to attend, but Breyer would have to figure out how to sell the rest of the event models in a way that's more-or-less fair to everyone. How that ends up working is anyone's guess, but it'll probably give Breyer some practice for how to distribute the Breyerfest special runs, should that event end up being cancelled or posponed as well.

And postponing or cancelling Breyerfest opens its own can of worms. Again, the celebration models could probably be mailed. Tickets for the raffle models could be sold through the website and names drawn from those entries as well, with those models also being mailed to the winners. The live show could either be converted to a photo show, or the live show prizes could just be raffled off amongst everyone who paid to enter the show (I expect the distribution would probably be about the same). Then those models could be mailed to the winners (UPS is going to be the real winner here!). Same thing with the volunteer models - just have Robin make her selections like normal and then, well, just mail them all out (along with a celebration model and two randomly-selected special runs, since being a volunteer gets you all of that). The live auction could also be done online. The diorama contest and best customs contest stuff could probably be judged through photos at a distance and the prizes mailed.

From there, though, things get a little more iffy. How do you distribute the special run models in a way that's fair to everyone? It would be easy to limit purchases to people who bought three-day tickets, but where do you go from there? Limit them to 2 different models per transaction, obviously, but how do you keep people from placing a billion orders? How do you keep track of how many tickets everyone bought? They don't make enough models to cover all of the tickets, and if it's all done online, there will be more people trying to order than are normally there at the event trying to buy.

I think the simplest solution (if time-consuming) would be to go through each account that's purchased three-day tickets, count how many they bought, then contact each account owner and tell them "this is the number of randomly-selected packs of 2 special run models you can buy, take it or leave it." That doesn't solve the problem of not enough special run models for tickets produced, though. And I have no idea how to handle the single-day Stablemates, since they don't make enough of those to cover all of the tickets sold. There's also the problem of the Store Specials and the pop-up store - those aren't limited to two, so how do you sell those fairly? What a headache.

At this point, I think it's more likely that Breyerfest is postponed, not cancelled, if only because of the aforementioned issues with selling the products. Let's hope it all works out, I guess? The problem is, Breyer can say all they want right now about Breyerfest still being on schedule, but if the state of Kentucky bans all gatherings of more than 250 people (or all gatherings, period), well, that's the ballgame. Let's hope it doesn't come to that, eh?

Saturday, March 14, 2020

Featured Model - 3/14/2020, Prism

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. Since it's Pi Day today, and Breyer already set a weak precedent by holding a "Pi-nto Day sale" this weekend, this week's model is...Prism!



This rainbowy guy is item #1801, on the popular Andalusian Stallion mold sculpted by Kathleen Moody. He was a limited edition for 2018 and was a run of 3500.

Rainbows are kind of my kryptonite, so of course I had to buy this guy as soon as I possibly could. My only regret is that I couldn't buy more than one! I mean, I probably could get more of them, but there wouldn't be much point since I'm not a variation hunter. I definitely wouldn't say no to this color on other molds, though! The paint job is based on this old auction model from 2001, minus the gold mapping. Interestingly, last year's auction Croi was also this color, complete with the gold mapping, and it has also popped up on Flash (and probably others). I certainly hope we see it again soon! Considering the auction Croi sold for a cool $7000, it seems likely.

As for the Moody Andalusian, while he isn't my favorite Moody sculpt, he's definitely up there - while adding new additions to the shelves the other day, I counted 19 of them on the shelf. Definitely a popular guy! He was last year's Breyerfest surprise model, and has been used at several Breyerfests previously, so I suspect Breyer will give the mold a rest for a while. I also doubt we see him as a web special this year, unless he shows up in the Wild Animals series later this year, or the holiday decorator. Hope springs eternal, I guess? Well, however he shows up, I hope it's something easy to get my hands on!

Thursday, March 12, 2020

Starlight, and Breyer Easter plush!

Attention to all Vintage Club members: Starlight is now available for purchase!



She comes a bit soon after the previous release - I wonder if Breyer is getting jittery with all the COVID-19 hubbub. Well, either way, she's definitely pretty! While I'm not a Vintage Club member this year, I've tentatively managed to secure one from someone else, so I'm excited to see what she looks like in person!

In other news, Breyer has a new Easter plush available!



She's free with a $75 purchase, or it looks like you can just buy her for $14.99. Use the code LILAC20 at checkout to get her! I don't collect the plushes, but she sure is cute!

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Well, spring is the season for berries, right?

Wow, there's already a new web special up for entries! Is spring the season for berries? I might be way off with that. But anyway, say hello to Goku Goji!



It's a new Henry! I can already hear the cries of, "But what will we show him as?" coming from some parts of the hobby, but whatevs - he's definitely cute! I like his color and his stripey mane. And yes, this is the mottled mouth we saw in the newsletter not long ago. I figured it was the new Berries Pony! Anyway, I used to have a modest Henry conga, but I've since sold them all off for shelf space. So, this guy doesn't need to come to my house. Good luck to all the entrants, though!

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

The next special run is revealed!

Good news, everyone! We have a reveal for last week's sneak peek!



It's Sham, and his name is Lugh! From the blog:

Lugh (pronounced “loo”) has been done for BreyerFest’s Celtic Fling in a richly-shaded medium bay with a high-gloss finish and an unusual feature – a gulastra plume! This unique genetic anomaly was named for the Arabian stallion Gulastra, whose bay descendants were commonly found with a light or flaxen tail instead of a black tail.
He certainly is majestic! Nothing that needs to come home with me, but I like that gulastra plume! They need to use that more often. And the gloss makes him totally yummy!

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

Sunday, March 8, 2020

New Totilas!

So there's a new article out from Chronicle of the Horse, detailing how real horses become Breyer models. And there just happens to be a new model reveal in the article!



That's right - Friesian Sporthorse dressage mare Adiah HP is becoming a Breyer! I had never heard of her prior to reading this article, but she's definitely pretty! The article says the new model will be available in July, so I'm guessing she's a mid-year release. Let's hope the other mid-year stuff is just as exciting - I'll definitely need to find one of these ladies!

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Featured Model - 3/7/2020, Majesty

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...Majesty!



This model is last year's holiday ornament unicorn, a new series that seems to be fairly popular. He's item #700651 and was a regular-run release.

Look familiar? That's because this guy is Kathleen Moody's beloved old Spanish Barb mold, first issued in porcelain in 1994. I've speculated about him being converted to plastic in the past, and it looks like my wishes have finally come true...in miniature form.

At least, I hope this means he'll be released in plastic. The ornament seems to be made of some type of resin, so it remains to be seen if our old Spanish Barb will be released as a Stablemate. I certainly hope so? I guess I forgot about him when I was making my Breyerfest predictions - I didn't predict him showing up anywhere - but I certainly wouldn't complain if he did.

His color is nice, if a little basic - pink body, rainbow glitter mane and tail. Yawn...I hope Breyer starts putting more thought into their unicorn releases soon. All this simplicity (and sloppily painted hooves) is starting to get old. Not that I don't like rainbows or anything. And one of the things I liked about Xavier and his ilk was that they don't shed glitter, unlike the Stablemate unicorns. And Majesty is no exception - glitter galore. Let's hope they put something a little more involved on him next time, eh?

Friday, March 6, 2020

Yet another sneak peek on the blog!

There's a new sneak peek on the blog! What could it be?!



It's glossy, whatever it is. I'm thinking Clydesdale Stallion? They've been using more draft-type models than I thought they would this year, so I suppose it's possible. I hope we find out on Monday!

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Oh, I'm so blue...

Hark, collectors! In case you thought Breyer had run out of ways to empty our pocketbooks, here comes another test model for sale on the website!



He's Stud Spider, painted with a conventional Stud Spider mask...but instead of the standard black, he's blue! Okay, I've never been much of a Stud Spider fan, but I have to admit even he looks good in this color. And look at the detail on his eyes! Somebody took their time with this one! He's nothing that needs to join my collection, but if you're entering - good luck!

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

More 2020 Breyerfest predictions

Well, it looks like I'm batting about 50/50 on special run reveals this year - we've seen four of them so far and I correctly predicted one of them - or two, if you count my "a bull" guess as technically correct for Hamish. So what else is there? We've now seen two store specials as well - Benelli and the palomino pinto Brishen. So what else is there? Plenty - and I'll do my best to keep my guesses realistic. I did some copy/pasting from old predictions posts to save on time, so if anything looks familiar, that's probably why.

This post will cover the rest of the special runs typically seen at Breyerfest, like the single-day Stablemates, prize models, pop-up-tent stuff, etc.

One more store special on Hamilton? Pretty please?

Raffle models: Altynai, Dundee

Diorama contest prize: Black Beauty

Live show glossy prizes: Truly Unsurpassed, Buckeye

Live show reserve grand: Forever Saige
Live show grand: San Domingo

Custom contest grand prize: Hamilton in chestnut
Custom contest runners-up Stablemates: Charleston in chestnut, possibly glossy

The costume contest isn't happening this year - glossy Ballynoe Castle models will be raffled off at the Friday and Saturday shows instead, and presumably three of them will be given to the custom contest judges as usual

1-Day Stablemates: With how draft-heavy this Breyerfest is turning out to be, I'm wondering if they'll do all draft models for the one-day Stablemates again. They did that in 2012, though, and there aren't a whole lot of drafters that haven't already been used. So, I'm thinking maybe Corbin, the G3 Jumper, Django and the G3 Highland Pony.

Volunteer Model: Desatado

Crystal horse: Bouncer

Pop-up Tent Classic: Brabant/Mighty Muscle

Pop-up Tent Stablemate: Darley, just for confusion's sake. We have to have something that wildly doesn't match the theme, right?

That's all I have for now - let's hope I'm right about at least some of them!

Monday, March 2, 2020

Can't believe I almost forgot about this!

I'm a bit behind on this news, but we did finally get a reveal of the third sneak peek from last week - another Store Special!



His name is Faugh-a-Ballagh (say that one three times fast) and he's a portrait of the real Faugh-a-Ballagh, a Vanner stallion who'll be a guest at Breyerfest! While I'm thrilled to see they're using Brishen in the store (thus, not the surprise), I've never been the biggest fan of that shade of palomino/cremello...so I'm hoping he has some pearl in his mane or something. I'll try to get my hands on one anyway, but some pearl or metallic would be nice to see. With all these droolworthy models being revealed, I'm starting to get really excited for Breyerfest!

Sunchaser is now available!

Good news for Fairytale Friends Club (or as I like to call it, Glitter Unicorn Club) members - the next release, Sunchaser, is now available!



While I like this one's color, it looks a little blah in the photos - hopefully it's better in person. Still wishing Moonbeam had been on a mold I like. Hopefully he doesn't take too long to get here! I'll  be keeping the Stablemate, but as usual the Mini Whinny will be for sale.